Peter had enjoyed his unplanned evening with Mrs Priest and he hugged and thanked her for her encouragement, "I have been feeling sorry for myself and I can tell you now that it is going to stop. You have reminded me that I have a lot to be thankful for and I won't forget it. Your son's new ship is bigger and better than what we had before so he will do very well and you shouldn't worry about him." He thought afterwards about how he had suggested to her that she shouldn't worry and now he was finding that comment very hard to put in perspective as she had told him about her terminally ill younger brother who had liked a drink and had smoked heavily for many years and was now paying a heavy price for it. She would visit him on the days when she wasn't babysitting to keep him company. Peter thought after that, any issues that he might have would pale into insignificance. He resumed his walk back to the hotel and he would start to deal with the disappointment of not finding Sonya Radcliffe and reset his plan all over again. He wasn't feeling buoyant by any means but the brief period of defeatism was now put in the past and he felt that he could move on. He climbed the stairs to his room and considered that he would be glad to have left the big city behind him soon. He opened the door and saw a note from the front desk that had been pushed under the door.

Earl was thankful that it hadn't been too difficult to persuade Tully to mount his horse and start back on his original plan to get to Hope Valley and see Judge Avery. It was a different prospect now because Earl was going to be on his side and there would be no other acceptable outcome than what Tully had been hoping for. He was prepared and expecting some turbulence when they would get there but he was not going to take a back step. He didn't bother with any attempt to make any small talk with the very withdrawn Tully as they cantered along the track. They had brought Adrian's horse along with them so the sight of that at Hope valley should have some impact on the people there. He hoped that he could remain professional in his approach but the events of the day like no other had impacted on him like never before, someone had to tell Virgil and someone was going to have the terrible job of breaking the news to the parents. He gritted his teeth in tense anticipation as they wandered along silently. He needed Laura right at this moment.

Christine had not forgotten even for a moment who needed to be thanked so dearly for the news that she had received today. She was far too excited to let the fact that Elizabeth would be conducting an important classroom topic so, next day in the afternoon she had proceeded with intent down to the school and straight up the stairs and into the classroom through the door without even knocking or an excuse me. She looked anxious so Elizabeth and all the children thought that something was wrong. "I'm so sorry to intrude everyone but I've got good, exciting news and I didn't want to wait because I wouldn't have got this news if it wasn't for Mrs Thornton." All the children loved their Auntie Christine as she had looked after them when they had got sick or had grazes and splinters that needed her attention. She had her story to tell and she thought that it may as well include all the wide eyed children who could hardly wait.

It had been a long day and Peter was very tired but his interest had perked up at seeing the note on the floor. He wondered whether the hotel wanted their bill settled in advanced or whether they needed to know how long he was planning to stay. It was on an official letterhead and he noticed the time written in the little box in the top right corner. "Captain Glover sir, will you please call into the front desk in the foyer sometime in the morning." There unfortunately was no other information than what was on the page so he felt that there was no point in getting his hopes up for anything, he remembered his last visit to Bakersfield and how he tried to convince himself that it was just a momentary setback when he didn't find anything about Christine. He read the note again and left it on the table ready for the morning.

Mrs Thornton could see that all the children including Amy were no longer interested or receptive in returning to any schoolwork this late in the day, now that a very excited Nurse Christine had rolled up unexpectedly. She invited the welcome intruder to the front of the class with hands on hips and appropriate look of frustration so that all the children wouldn't be going home at the end of the day with strained necks with complaints coming from parents the next day. "Children, most of you know that my husband is a sailor who has been at sea on a big ship for many years. I haven't heard anything or known where he was or whether he was safe for many years but last night I got a letter from a cousin that I haven't seen for a long time who has just found out where I am. I only found out that he was looking for me because our Mrs Thornton cared enough to check something out that sounded like it might be my husband." She hugged the surprised teacher, "In that letter there was a note which was written by him to say that he is still looking for me. It's not going to be long until he is here with me." She had planned that there would be no tears but now it was too late.

There seemed to be no other options left to pursue so Peter decided to pack up what little belongings he had with him and eventually head to the railway station to make his return the way he had come. This had been a failed venture but he was happy that he had done his best. Before he would leave he had a good idea to thank the police officer, who had given up so much time without any complaint to help him and he would leave the address of Susan and his mother just in case something turned up in time down the track. He sauntered down the flight of stairs and headed to the desk after having remembered the note which had to be attended to. Maybe he had been mixed up with someone else as a mistaken identity if there was some sort of a problem. The young man at the desk saw him approaching and smiled, "Good morning captain, we had a message for you yesterday afternoon but you were out so we left a note under your door. There is a phone number for you to ring but we weren't allowed to hand it out after hours as we could get in trouble with people ringing in the middle of the night because of us. Would you like me to dial the number for you sir?"

There were hugs and kisses all round and the children said how they couldn't wait to meet the sea captain and hear all the stories about sailing on the ocean so far away. After the children were let out early for the day, Elizabeth sat down in the empty classroom to read the letter from the cousin Susan with Christine sitting in anticipation like a cat on hot bricks. "It's wonderful that you now have some family to share your life with after you have been alone for so long, I have always had family even if I was so far away but I always knew where they were." Christine handed her the note from Peter and she felt the goosebumps as Elizabeth started to read with intent. Elizabeth had tears in her eyes as she finished and stared back at Christine. "Elizabeth, none of this could have happened if not for you, I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for us."

The phone was ringing and eventually there was a 'hello' when it was finally answered, "Good morning, this is Martin on the desk of the Hotel Enfield, I believe you rang yesterday looking for Captain Glover. I have him here right now if you please." The person on the other end said to hang on while I get my daughter. There was a momentary delay and soon Martin could hear some movement, "Here you are captain, I believe your party is now on the line." Peter took the phone in anticipation, "Good morning Captain Glover, this is Marjorie, you entertained my parents the other night at dinner in your hotel. I have only just returned yesterday afternoon from an extended secondment in another major city. They said how they had such a good time with you thank you so very much. They told me the story about how you are looking for Sonya Radcliffe in the hunt for your wife. I rang as soon as I could yesterday but they said how they could only take a message as you seemed to be out for most of the day. I believe I can help you sir."

"Oh bother," said Christine as she was walking back to the Infirmary. She was wondering why she was getting cold and she realised that her jacket was still back in the classroom. She turned back and walked up the stairs and when she opened the door she saw Elizabeth sitting with her head in her hands sobbing profusely. These were tears from many years ago. Christine was horrified, "My goodness Elizabeth, whatever is the matter?" She was very concerned and went straight to her and sat with her. She could see how distraught Elizabeth was, "Nobody knows about this except for Abigail who was a good friend to all of us here years ago, you would have loved her Christine." She paused trying to wipe tears away, "she came to me sometime after Jack died and gave me a letter that he had written and it was only to be given to me if he had died. I went to our land and sat on our rock and tried to read it. He said that I had his blessing to start over again and to find true love again." Christine suddenly felt dizzy as she clung to Elizabeth, "Oh dear, all I've done is to rehash all this all over again for you, I'm so sorry." They both cried together and they sat for ages and watched the sun go down.

"I just had a depressing thought," remarked Simon, "we have to do all that again on the way back. I hope Janie will still remember me after all this." They were both standing on the platform after finally having arrived at Masterton. "I reckon this railway station is bigger than the entire district of Hope Valley." Nathan hadn't seen a station quite as big as this one servicing such a big city. He started to try and anticipate what Captain Glover's movements might have been, they knew that he was about two days ahead of them in his quest to find the head nurse. It was now midafternoon and they were hungry but Nathan suggested that the nearest police station should be their first objective and they could eat later. Simon was used to the hustle and bustle of Union City by now but Nathan liked the country space and outdoors so the hustle and bustle of people hurrying along and the endless line of cars going in all directions did not appeal to him at all.

They found their way to the sizable information desk and the man pointed them in the right direction to the nearest of many police stations in the city. It was said to be a brisk fifteen minute walk from here if they followed the easy directions that they were given. "I've never seen such a large building, two levels I believe," said Simon as soon as they arrived right in front. Nathan was more interested in getting a final resolution to their mission and setting out for back home. Their entrance turned many heads as the appearance of two Mounties in bright uniforms in their city was rather unusual. They didn't have to wait in line with everybody else and it didn't take long before the officer who had provided assistance for Peter was summoned. He invited them to the same quiet room and then he spoke at length at the lack of success from the exhausting two days of phone calls and enquiries. "We ran into obstacles and rules and regulations that you wouldn't believe and all we could do was to leave our details in case anything turned up down the track. "I was so sorry that I couldn't help him with some answers. He left here yesterday afternoon and I haven't seen or heard of him since. I don't even know where he is staying, however, he may have departed by now, he was quite disappointed at the outcome I'm afraid. Now if I was going to venture a guess, I suspect that he would have stayed at one of the hotels close to the railway stations."

Nathan started to explain how they had chased this man all across the expanse of the country and how they would be able to tell him where his wife is as soon as they could find him. The officer was astonished at hearing Nathan's story and he proposed to develop a poster and despatch it throughout the city hospitals. He had been annoyed at the general reception that they had received, rules or no rules so he thought he might get a better response if they could display something that people could read. He called in officers who regularly prepared and drafted work like this and he expressly ask them not to make something that looked like a wanted poster. Nathan was pleasantly surprised at how this officer wanted every effort made to achieve success in this operation, "Our Captain Glover must have made quite an impression on him." he thought. The officer had said how Peter had been in the service of his country for so long and this was the least we could do for him. "If there is any cooperation to be had, I'm going to get it." he said sternly. "I'm quite relieved now, after hearing from you boys because it appeared to me that Captain Glover is not entirely convinced that his wife is still hanging out for him but might have moved on in her life." The smile that appeared on Nathan's face was sad, "Sir, I can't imagine what she will do to us if we return without any good news." There was nothing left for them to do so they decided that they would stay somewhere and start the long trek back home in the morning. Nathan was frustrated and wished that they could have done more, "Captain Glover must be completely browned off by now after not being able to find this Sonya Radcliffe."

They had put many miles behind them and Tully had not muttered one word at any time. He only stopped for a break when Earl has made such a suggestion and he only resumed the journey when Earl had directed him to do so. He continued to wonder what sort of a reception would be awaiting them when they got to Hope Valley. The hackles rose on the back of Earl's neck at the thought of Tully just being dismissed by an indifferent Judge Avery. He thought that he couldn't rule out aggressively intervening on Tully's and Adrian's behalf and setting the appalling record straight once and for all. He knew he was more than capable and if it cost him his job and his livelihood then so be it. He knew wrong from right just as well as anyone. He choked up as he wondered what young Mountie Adrian must have been like, it sounded like as if he was more than just a dedicated officer but one who lived every day for his work. The parents of this young man were going to be devastated. "Heaven help Judge Avery if he didn't accept what Tully would propose to him," thought Earl as he clenched his fists. He knew that Hope Valley was not very far away by now.

While they were looking for somewhere to stay for the night, they thought that they may as well heed the police officer's guess and try all the hotels along the route and ask if they had seen a man in a naval officer's uniform. They split up to work each side of the road to save wasting time. They were surprised and rather annoyed at some of the reception that they received as it was only a simple question and not any plans to relieve someone from their life savings. In the end after taking note of the uniforms even though they had no jurisdiction in this area, they at least got the negative answer that they anticipated. Nathan eventually landed with a frustrated mood at the Hotel Enfield and came across a very receptive Martin on the front desk. Nathan posed his question once again, "Yes sir, we had a Captain Glover stay with us , however he checked out rather abruptly this morning after receiving a phone call. He appeared to be a lot happier after that call sir."

Nathan put both hands on the desk in frustration and rolled his eyes again for about the millionth time. This was unfortunately just another missed opportunity and he explained what information that he could to the surprised desk clerk how they had pursued the captain almost over the entire country. "All we want to do is reacquaint him with his wife back in Hope Valley but we are not having very good fortune in our attempts. Could we trouble you to ring that number again for us just in case he is with those people. We would be eternally grateful and then we would be able to finally go home." Martin was only too pleased to oblige and soon he was speaking to someone on the other end of the line. In the finish, after he hung up the phone, all he could say was that the daughter of these people set out to pick the captain up from here in a car this morning but they didn't know where she was taking him. They said, however, that she knew the lady nurse who the captain was looking for. Nathan felt heartened and relieved that they finally had some good news and now surely this lady whoever she was, would know where Christine was. Nathan looked and felt quite flushed, "My friend and I need to book in for the night and I see you have a nice dining room where we could relax, I might even whisper a little prayer tonight before retiring. Martin, I would appreciate it if you would eventually speak to that daughter of those people and let her know who we are and tell her where the captain's wife is thank you and tell her that she is desperately waiting for him."

Simon had tested every hotel and boarding house on his side of the street and, of course he had come up empty so now he was beginning to wonder where Nathan was and whether he might have had more success. This had been a long trip to get here and now he was tired and hungry and getting more frustrated and irritable by the minute. It was cold and windy and he was not looking forward to having to wait outside on the footpath for Nathan to show up outside somewhere so he started to venture into the places where he might be. The Hotel Enfield had a sign displayed that said 'vacancies' so he headed inside and immediately saw Nathan conversing with the cheerful desk clerk. "Simon, our police officer was right with his suggestion and I just found out that Captain Glover stayed here but a young lady picked him up this morning and is taking him to see Sonya Radcliffe. Surely he must be on the right track by now. We have done as much as we can and now we can return home in the morning." Simon soon perked up a little when he saw the dining room but there was no escaping his loneliness and now he wished more than ever for the companionship of his loving fiancé. "The sooner we are back on the train, the better I'll like it."

Nathan had focussed most of his effort so far on the unsuccessful attempt to locate Peter Glover but now, relaxing over dinner he turned his thoughts over to his life at Hope Valley. He couldn't believe how he was over two thousand miles away and how his true love was back there waiting for him to return. He and Simon had much to reminisce about over their long dinner and a beer afterwards, "I was a complete idiot over Elizabeth back then, I fumbled over words that I couldn't find and I couldn't accept that she had gradually fallen for Bouchard. Fiona was different and I loved how she was so good with Allie and we all just grew together so easily. I hated how Elizabeth had to make her sudden exit from her wedding but Fiona was there for us. Simon, I can see that you are missing Janie and I can understand." They were good friends and much water had gone under the bridge since they had first met. "I couldn't believe it when I first set eyes on Janie, she was the image of Sarah but she is her own person. I loved her for what she had done for you Nathan and I couldn't get her out of my mind. I hated having to give Emily up but it was the right thing to do, the Coulters are a fine family and I hear that Emily is running them ragged. I love the influence that we have on Amy and how she is turning out."

"You don't really have to go to all this trouble for me, all you have to do is point me in the right direction." expressed Peter as he sat in the front seat of Marjorie's family car, not wanting to be an imposition on anyone. She glanced at him as she continued to keep her eyes on the road as they motored along. "Captain, I would never be able to sleep anymore if I never got to have you meet Sonya or if I didn't know whether you got there or not. This is my pleasure captain and it is the least I can do for you." After the phone call at the hotel, she had pulled up out the front of the hotel within fifteen minutes and she soon saw Peter in his uniform waiting out the front after having thanked Martin and checked out.

"Good morning captain, hop in," said a beaming Marjorie who had not spared the horses in order to hurry along and meet this surprise visitor. She was only too pleased to help out as she knew that there wouldn't many people here who knew Sonya Radcliffe or knew where she was. "Captain, we have about a two hour trip to Blacktown so there is going to be plenty of time and I can't wait for you to tell me all about sailing on the high seas and hunting for an elusive wife." She asked him what he was smiling about. "In the last few weeks, I've had the most wonderful women read me the riot act and wave their finger at me and insist that I do what I'm told. I suggested to you that you didn't have to drive me and you said nonsense and you wouldn't hear of it. This is just another day in my life even though my fingers have turned white while I'm hanging on to the door of your car for dear life." She was passing most of the other cars on the road like they were standing still. "I think I was safer on my ship in the storm." It was obvious that she was more than capable behind the wheel of a car.

There was no turning back now as they stopped just outside of town and drew breath. Tully had still not spoken but Earl could see that he was apprehensive about continuing into the town. It looked as if he was trying to focus on the task at hand because there was no other way to repair the damage that he had done. Earl watched him as he started to breathe heavily and force himself to finish the task to fix it for Adrian. Tully sat there patting his horse just waiting and trying to pluck up the courage that he needed. Earl waited and tried to be patient as this was Tully's decision to proceed only when he was ready. They both had their own thoughts as they waited. Earl had remembered that his wife was having a birthday next week and he had not made any plans for her as yet. He put that out of his mind as quick as it came in. He could only imagine what was going through Tully's mind at the moment as they proceeded past the water tower.

Christine was just finishing showing Captain Foster the letters that she had received and it gave him heart that they were really starting to get some success. She told him about Sonya Radcliffe and how this should be one of the best leads so far. She was just leaving when Elizabeth arrived with her basket of cookies for him as a further thank you for her new ladder. All the maps were still there and he would continually look at Grampton and wonder how his two Mounties were faring. Now the letter from Susan and the one from Peter himself had showed that it had been worth sending Nathan and Simon on their journey. He was still showing concern mainly because of the problems that the storm had caused but he was uplifted after the news from Christine. Her letters had left an imprint on Elizabeth and she realised that there was a great deal of sad memories with Jack's death and how it finished with Lucas and that would always be there. Elizabeth had also come to realize that she needed the captain's company even more than before. "I'd love to cook dinner for you again captain," she said as she opened the front door and noticed the two riders. "Captain, it looks like there's a Mountie and another man riding in here."

"This is really the way to travel from now on," commented Peter who noticed how his fingers were still white from hanging on so tightly. He had never had any experience being a passenger in a car on a long trip on a sealed road from the city. After four years at sea, he could accept that this was the way of the future and eventually the horse and cart was going to be consigned to the past. It would have taken them all day and more if he had travelled by train with all the regular stops and then having to liaise with a coach but soon a large sign appeared showing that they were entering Blacktown. Peter was amazed to see how Marjorie wasn't even hesitant as she seemed to know exactly where she was going and she was happy that she was going to save Peter many hours of searching for this lady. She had looked rather annoyed from time to time after hearing about the lack of response from the hospitals back in Masterton. She knew that Peter was not interested in seeing any sights along the way so she turned at different places and finally rolled up outside of a formidable looking building with a prominent sign reading, 'French and Partners'.

Earl was no stranger to Hope Valley, he had been here before. He remembered the spot where he had shown Amy the dance steps but at the moment he was well and truly in a different frame of mind. They slowly made their way to the jailhouse where he saw a lady looking at them, now that she had come through the front door. Earl didn't really know what to expect but he was ready for a confrontation if need be. He was secretly relieved that there was no sign of Judge Avery. Earl and Elizabeth had not known each other as she had been at Fort Clay when he was at Hope Valley last. He saw that she had informed whoever it was in the office that there were strangers in town. He bided his time as he saw Captain Foster emerge from the office to survey the newcomers. Whatever Tully was thinking was now replaced with his vision of the captain's uniform which he instantly recognised. In his haste to dismount he nearly fell clumsily off his horse but he regained his footing and managed three or so steps until he collapsed to his knees, "I killed him, it's all my fault," he screamed as he fell to pieces in front of everyone, "he didn't deserve this." he cried, "I did this to him and it's all my fault."

Earl was still sitting on his horse totally helpless and dumbfounded. Captain Foster strode down the steps and knelt down with him and put his hand on Tully's shoulder. Before he could say anything to help Amy had raced across the road and knelt down with him, she put her arm around him, "What's wrong, tell me what's happened." He was crying in her arms, "I got him into this and I killed him, he was only a young boy and now he's dead." She was powerless to help him at the moment but she wouldn't let him go. She just let him ramble on in her arms. Earl had been ready for a fight but now he was shattered and close to tears as he tried to climb off his horse, Captain Foster looked at him in desperation for some answer to the apparent tragic events. "What has happened constable," he pleaded. "I'm Constable Earl Grey of Union City sir," stated Earl in a broken voice, "This man here is Gene Tully of Cape Fullarton, he was one of the men who was sacked because of the man wrongly sent to prison."

Captain Foster was shocked at what he was hearing and seeing a shell of a man who apparently used to be a Mountie, "what about the other man, where is he?" he asked as he looked at Earl. "He's dead sir and this man saw it all happen, the young man, also a former Mountie raced into a burning house and saved the life of a little girl. He must have been a good man sir and now he's gone. Elizabeth had seen and heard all this and now she cried and put her arms around the captain. He knew exactly how she was feeling after she had lost Jack years ago in an accident. He didn't worry anymore about trying to make sense of it all, "Earl and Amy, give us a hand and let's pick him up and get him inside." Gene was still inconsolable but that didn't matter to Amy, she was going to be with him for the duration.

It was a little after midday as Marjorie pulled up outside the clinic. Peter was in the hands of this young lady and he was most appreciative. "I would have been days trying to find this place and you got me here in no time at all, I can't thank you enough Marjorie but I'm sure dinner will help." They walked up the steps and went inside through the double doors and straight up to the counter, "I'm thankful that this wasn't so busy like that police station that I was at, a young constable wanted me to fill out a missing person's form." Marjorie laughed and enquired with the receptionist, "We would very much like to speak with Sonya French please." To Peter's astonishment, this was something else that he was not aware of or had not considered. Marjorie looked at him and noticed how puzzled he appeared, "She was married two years ago to one of the doctors here." The receptionist had gone to see if she was available to come and talk to a couple of people who were not patients.

They had to wait for a while but soon an attractive but stern looking lady returned with the receptionist who pointed out the two visitors. Peter looked at this lady and almost felt that his heart missed a beat as he was seeing someone who might finally be able to tell him where Christine was. "Nice meeting you again Marjorie, haven't seen you for quite a while. You must have completed your secondment already." Peter was waiting patiently and soon Sonya took more notice of him, especially the uniform. "Sonya French, I'd like you to meet Captain Peter Glover, he has come a long way to try and find you." Marjorie was waiting to see if the penny dropped but sadly, Sonya was none the wiser. "With a baffled look she asked him, "How can I help you sir?" Peter hadn't been running anywhere but somehow he felt out of breath, after weeks of toil and searching unsuccessfully, it seemed that this was now the moment of truth, "I believe you knew a Christine Pennington or a Christine Glover some time ago." Sonya hardly had to think at all, "Yes, I knew Christine very well, I had her with me at Masterton and she was very capable, why might you be looking for her," then she gasped as she looked at Peter, "Are you the husband that she was pining over just about every day that she was here?" she hugged Peter and he felt overcome with the lump in his throat, "I've finished my sea duty after four years and now I'm trying to find her and I can tell you, it's been a hard slog so far."

Earl hadn't contemplated the level of compassion that had occurred right from the beginning. He didn't know Captain Foster but he could see that nobody cared about his men more than him. There were so many questions to be asked but the captain was more concerned about the broken man he had sitting with Amy in the cell and he thought also about Earl, the man who brought him in. Now was not the time but he was going to have to help Earl establish a report some time. He was worried about Elizabeth who was just sitting with Amy and Gene, who knows what would be going through her head after witnessing all this. He knew that she was very strong after her efforts at Fort Clay with people who had also suffered with the demise of Jack Thornton but now all those memories would be all back again.

"He died in my arms, his last words were for Fred Burns," sobbed Gene, "I can't believe he's gone." Amy thought that there was nothing to say but just be there with him. Elizabeth looked over at Earl who had his head in his hands, "I remember you from the police station in Union City, that was when we were finding out about Nathan." Elizabeth put her arms around him." He had tears in his eyes, "Gene was just sitting in the street with his young friend, I've never seen anything like this before. That young man died a hero, I saw the young girl who he brought out of that fire. I hope she remembers him." He grabbed her tightly, "Nobody deserves to finish up like that, they were coming here to see Judge Avery. Gene wanted to have the young man reinstated, he didn't care about himself, his only thoughts were for the young man."

Captain Foster had sat there listening carefully to Earl opening up to Elizabeth, there were many people here who had suffered a terrible tragedy and now he needed to find out what happened and slowly start to get to the bottom of how it all played out. "Earl, I can see that there is a lot to sort out here and people to take care of, I'm going to make it right for Gene and we are also, going to make it right for his young friend, you have my promise." He was quietly very angry for the people sitting here with him, he remembered how he was led to believe that two men could be on the way to Hope Valley seeking revenge but now nothing could be further from the truth. He had given his solemn promise to Earl and now he was going to want answers and he knew where to look for them. For the moment, he thought that it would be advisable for Bill to remain absent for a while. He would like Faith or Christine to be here to provide the support needed for Gene and Earl after their ordeal.

"He really has a compelling story to tell Sonya but what he really wants to know is whether you can shed any light on where Christine might be." They had a little cafeteria inside their officers and she took them there and they sat with tea and cookies. "Captain, there is much to tell you about your wife, any woman in her position could be excused for losing heart with her husband taken away but she was determined to make good and become worthwhile in the community. I can tell you that she trained under my supervision and she became a very competent nurse." Marjorie hung onto Peter's hand as she could tell that he was trying hard to stay composed. "Peter, your wife is a dedicated nurse and a very good one, you can be very proud of her for what she has accomplished during your absence."

Sonya said how she and Christine had many conversations during that time and one thing that she would often mention was that her foster parents had moved overseas and how she didn't know where any of her family lived. "She often referred sadly to Nanna Reynolds who was her grandmother." Peter lit up straightaway, "I can remember her talking about her. She loved her so much." By now Marjorie had her head on his shoulders, she was so thankful that she had taken the time to help him. Sonya cast her mind back to a specific incident, "I remember one day when Christine spied someone right here with a small country newspaper that had the most gorgeous little dog on the front page. She was excited that they mentioned the dog's name as Rusty."

Amy was concerned that Gene wasn't interested in even having a drink of water let alone having any food. She got the distinct impression that he was never coming out of that cell as that's where he felt he deserved to be. The captain was just about to quickly go to the Infirmary and get Faith or Christine when the ringing of the phone made him jump and frown, "This is Captain Foster," he answered impatiently. "Hello, this is Captain Edwards at Union City, Hello Eric, we speak again but now under very unfortunate circumstances, I'm afraid captain that I have some bad news to report to you. Doctor Parker and his daughter Janie, you know her as Simon's fiancé, attended a fatality at a house fire at Rainsford earlier today. My man Constable Earl Grey was also there but he was the first one in attendance." Before he could continue Captain Foster intervened, "I'm sorry captain to interrupt, I might need to pause from time to time, I'm sure you'll understand." Any pleasantries for his friend and colleague were forsaken today, "Frankly sir, I hardly know where to begin. Firstly, we have your man here with us now after this harrowing experience. I can tell you that the young man killed in the fire today was a former Mountie from Cape Fullarton. I imagine that Doctor Parker must have filled you in with what happened. As far as I'm concerned we have lost one of our own and I'm not going to rest until I make good for him. They were on their way here with good intentions. Please pass on my thanks and best wishes to Doctor Parker and Janie please. I don't envy us all for the next few weeks of investigation."

"She was always focussed on her work and nothing else would interfere, but this one particular day she was so excited and she had this little newspaper clutched tightly in her hand. It wasn't much more than a little newsletter from somewhere but it had most certainly captured her attention." Sonya smiled as she remembered and visualised a very excited Christine returning after lunch armed with this small publication. "You see, she said that her grandmother had a little dog just like the one on the front page and she saw where it said that his name was Rusty. She hadn't seen her grandmother for ages and she was sad how she had lost touch with her over time. It wasn't much more than a day or so later when she came to me said that she simply had to go and find her. She was a good friend and colleague and I hated the thought that I would never see her again. I waved goodbye to her at the train station and then all of a sudden she was gone."