He had dismounted from his horse and sat under the tree not concerning himself in any way about returning to his office just yet. He would close his eyes and open them again now starting to fully realise the extent of his impulsive and careless decision. He held his pistol in two hands anticipating what it was like for people to imagine a final decision like this. "How easy it would be, I could just end it all in one instant just like that," he thought but he knew that he couldn't do it. "I made one bad decision; I won't add another cowardly decision to it." What was so bad was the fact that he could not undo it and just make it right, "I dismissed and abruptly ended the careers of two fine officers for making an oversight which wasn't deliberate. What if I had to pass judgement on someone who caused the death of a young man after an irrational decision. Abiding by my own rules, I would find myself deservedly in prison for the remainder of my lifetime. How am I going to tell Mr and Mrs Metcalfe of the demise of their son." He was starting to sweat profusely and the finger that he had on the trigger of his pistol was all that stood between solving the problem for him and making it go away. "Am I supposed to look them in the eye and tell them how I had him dismissed and escorted from the garrison in disgrace." The words of Captain Foster kept ringing inside his head, "we joined to make a difference."
He had demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities over his limited career and he had rocketed up the ladder to the level of captain in the force. He recalled the confidence that his superiors had shown in his ability and now he had let them down badly. "What a poor advocate of a leader I have turned out to be," he lamented still sitting up against the tree. "How I wish that I could turn the clock back a week or more, hindsight is such a wonderful thing. I have learned what to do in nearly every situation and this time I faltered and I don't know why and I will pay for it with the rest of my life." He dreaded the thought of having to face Superintendent Stanbridge and try to explain how he cost the life of one of his men. No amount of punishment was going to make him feel any worse than he did right at this moment.
This was going to be different; they had done as much as they could and now they were finally back on the train feeling and listening to the creaking and rumbling of their carriage as it rolled along the track. At least now they were heading in the right direction and, hopefully with an uneventful trip, they would be back home with their loved ones within a week. They had decided that they weren't going to starve or become dehydrated like before so, armed with all their bagful of provisions, they just had to sit back and eat, drink and sleep and hope that they didn't miss any connections when they would arrive. They had made sure to get pencils and paper so that they could leave a note at the train station for Susan at Grampton advising her that they were sure that Peter had found the nurse who he was searching for. She would then know and be relieved that they were one step closer in the quest for finding his wife and her cousin Christine and that it was really going to happen.
Raymond just caught the captain in time before he was stepping out of his office for a while, "Sir, I had a phone call about a half an hour ago from a constable from Cape Fullarton asking to talk to Earl. All I could tell him was that he was out in the field and that he had to attend to a housefire where a fatality had occurred early this morning." He was clearly worried about Earl having not heard any further details from him for quite some time. "Raymond, I need to go out for a while but come into the office and close the door please." This sounded serious now that they were behind closed doors, "I don't know the full story but I can tell you that Earl is at Hope Valley having escorted the friend of the deceased there to try to rectify a situation. They were the two Mounties who were dismissed from the service at Cape Fullarton recently. It appears that Earl has witnessed something dreadful and that may remain in his mind forever. Doctor Parker and his daughter Janie have also been a part of this as well. I don't want any mention of this to anyone until I see Earl's wife Laura and tell her where her husband is and I may get to talk with our doctor and his daughter while I'm out."
These men had made a huge effort in spite of how they were coping, to come all the way to Hope Valley to try and have their positions and lives restored so Bill was not planning to waste another minute until he could fix the problem that he may have had a hand in. "This should never have happened," he said painfully but he had stopped short when he saw the look on Elizabeth's face and her eyes that had shed tears not long ago. He sat back wondering what could be worse than having your profession, that you had worked so hard to attain, pulled out from under your feet at a minute's notice and be sent on your way. He noticed how Elizabeth was clinging tightly to the captain and now she was close to tears again, not so much for herself but for him as she could feel the anguish in his voice as he started to try and explain it all to Bill.
The captain slumped helplessly in his chair, "as I said, those two men were on their way here to see you Bill. I can see that they must have thought that their only hope was to beg you to restore them to the service. Gene Tully said how he was only concerned with making it right for his younger friend, he had no aspirations for himself. He was inconsolable when he arrived here. Bill, on their way here they stopped in Rainsford overnight and this morning, when they were about to leave, there was a housefire. The young ex Mountie raced into the burning house without hesitation and, as I understand it, he saved the life of a little girl but it cost him his life." Bill put his head onto the desk as the blood drained from his head. "If I didn't submit such a damming report then Bedford wouldn't have removed him and he would still be alive, some of this, I'm sorry Eric, is squarely at my feet." He had his head in his hands trying to comprehend how a young life could be lost because of poor judgement and decisions. The captain asked him if he had written a recommendation to dismiss the two men in his report. "No, of course not, it was only a passing comment in the heat of the moment but that was bad enough." Elizabeth knew that he would take much of the blame, "Bill, it wasn't you who dismissed those men and you most definitely wouldn't have done it anyway." cried Elizabeth. He was a father figure and Godfather to her son and she had depended on him for many years and she hated to see him like this. The captain sadly added his own observation, "I can take some fault in this myself because I really should have foreseen this and talked Bedford out of making a rash decision to abandon his men. I was pretty rough on him earlier."
They were determined and they weren't going home without exhausting every avenue. "There are more papers here than I could have ever imagined and I haven't seen anything yet that is close enough to what I remember." said a focussed and frustrated Sonya as she thumbed her way through it all. "I'm sure that I will know it when I see it." Marjorie had asked offhandedly if there were any back issues anywhere of some of the small papers just in case they didn't have them out on display. They had been there searching for nearly two hours and she was feeling rather guilty at causing the interference to the running of the business. The proprietor said how he was more than happy and he would be happy to help them and he wasn't going to care how long it was going to take. He looked at Peter in his officer's uniform. "I'm going to be part of finding out where your wife has gone sir and I will probably shed a tear when we are successful." He was already overcome and he continued on with the task of helping Sonya and Marjorie plough through all the never ending papers. "Besides, if I send you down the road to Hamish's place, my goodness, he's a lot more grumpier than me." Sonya hugged him as she laughed at this little release of tension and scoffed at him, "You don't even know how to be grumpy; you have always been a perfect gentleman and I love you so much for helping us in every way that you possibly could. Someday, down the track you're going to get a letter in the mail and it will have a photo in it and it will be Peter and Christine together, then you will know that this will have all been worthwhile."
No matter how long he continued to sit there under the tree, the realisation that he was fully accountable for someone's death was not going to change or get any easier to accept. It was now time for him to mount up and return to his office and start to take responsibility for the decisions that he had made and the eventual repercussions. "I could sit out there for up to two years or more, it wouldn't make any difference, it's time for me to face up." He hardly had to focus; his horse seemed to know the way back without any direction from his captain. He wondered what it was that caused him to make such a horrendous decision and then stick to it right through to the end. It wasn't Judge Avery's report that did it, rather that he could see the face of the unfortunate man who finally had people say to him what he had been telling them for so many years already. He had been innocent all along and finally there was undeniable proof that enabled his release. Once the captain had made his decision, he never budged from it and that was a deep concern for him now. His thoughts had been mainly trying to figure out how to make it up for Fred Burns rather than for his own men.
He rode back into the compound straight past the men on guard without any acknowledgment and headed straight to his office building. He tried to look away as he noticed Virgil on the landing looking concerned. He made for his office like as if it was a sanctuary or a safe haven but he knew the feeling of safety wasn't going to last long. Virgil knew that something was wrong as soon as he saw the captain's face. He wondered whether to make mention of his attempt to talk with Constable Earl Grey and how he had found out that Earl had attended a fatality from a house fire this morning. Maybe the captain already knew. It was now time for a confrontation, "I can see that something is wrong sir." He waited patiently and expectantly for the captain's response, he wasn't going anywhere until it came and he himself was now starting to worry. They were a close knit unit and when it was family everybody rallied around each other for support.
"Constable McCain, please come in here and sit down, I have bad news and I can offer no excuse to go with it." Virgil had already prepared himself with focus and deep breaths for what might be coming his way. "I had a phone call earlier today from Hope Valley from a Captain Foster who stated that Gene Tully had arrived there in a completely devastated state because apparently young Adrian Metcalfe was killed this morning in a house fire. He went in there purposely to rescue a young girl and he paid for it with his life." Virgil came close to collapsing on the floor with disbelief and he felt sick to the stomach. "Captain Foster was very direct with me as he pointed out how I cast our two good men out into the cold and abandoned them and he was right. It is with a heavy heart that I must accept full responsibility for my actions which has cost the life of one of our men and destroyed the career of another."
Now that he had openly confessed to someone in his office he just sat there and was shaking and groaning about how he could have been the cause of this incident. "Excuse me sir, was there any mention of Constable Earl Grey from Union City, I heard that he was in attendance at the house fire." The captain had his head in his hands, "Constable Grey was there and saw the whole thing and he helped bury young Metcalfe, he then escorted Tully to Hope Valley hoping to get Judge Avery to reinstate the young man. This is going to be a very traumatic experience for him as well. Virgil, I can never excuse myself for allowing this to happen. I now have to break the news to his parents and then I will report to Superintendent Stanbridge. How do I say I'm sorry that their son is gone and that it is my fault. I don't know what will happen to me and, at this stage, I don't really care."
There wasn't much else for him to know, a great tragedy had occurred and the captain had accepted full responsibility so Virgil got up from his chair in the captain's office and returned and stood at his own desk staring into nothing. He couldn't find the strength or the reason for anything else. Two comrades of his were now destroyed one way or another only after a short time since they were all on the job together. Of course, the captain had not meant for this to happen just like Tully and Metcalfe had not meant for themselves to make a mistake. Any sympathy that he had for his captain was evaporating fast and now he felt desolate at the loss of two friends. He was well aware that Captain Bedford was most probably never going to recover from this and his life would be changed forever. "Maybe I could have stood in the way of that decision but you don't go around countermanding orders from a superior officer, they have their rank which entitles them to make these kinds of decisions and they should be right after careful consideration."
He knew that the two men had been confined to the barracks but he had been unaware of how they were hustled so rapidly from the compound and gone forever. He had subsequently lost faith in his superiors as he reached for his hat. He knew that he would be unable to focus on anything else and continue with his position under these circumstances without getting some closure. He was a dedicated Mountie and would always be prepared to take on any given orders to help where he was needed but now he was rather disillusioned with all matters at the Cape so he felt that he had no other option. He cared little if he was considered to be absent without leave but he wasn't going to let that stand in his way. He suddenly had little time for the captain at the moment so if he wanted to initiate disciplinary action on his behalf then he thought, "go ahead, you seem to be quite adept at this kind of action." Within ten minutes with a rigid appearance and speaking to no one, he was on his horse heading out of the compound and down the road maybe never ever to return.
Lights were on in the Infirmary by the time Faith returned to see Christine still occupying herself with tidying up and preparing lists of items for ordering. She had seen and heard something earlier in the day outside the jailhouse and was now waiting for Faith to enlighten her as to what had happened. She sat down next to Christine after carefully removing the valuable two letters that would be read and reread throughout the day. She knew that Christine was very vulnerable these days going from exhilaration to despair and her letters would never be more than arm's length away from her. She related the day's events how there were two men who were finally asleep in the cell in the jailhouse after having experienced a harrowing morning at a distant town from here. She described how a young man had perished in a house fire after saving a little girl from certain death. "Christine, one of the men in the cell is Earl Grey and he was very upset after his ordeal. As I understand it, he attended the reported house fire and he helped bury the young man and then helped the other man come here to Hope Valley."
She remembered with tears in her eyes how she had danced in the middle of the street and had felt so carefree and happy, "I love Earl and we were so lucky to have him here with us. He was so good with Amy." She loved how she would see Amy constantly practicing her dance steps and she was getting very good at it. "Christine, you should have seen Amy with that young man who was so distraught, she refused to leave him alone and she is staying with them in the cell overnight. When they eventually wake up in the morning she will be the first thing they see." She told Christine how Elizabeth was there with her arms around Captain Foster for most of the times as he was finding it hard losing a member of the force. "I'm sure that he was feeling for Elizabeth as she would have it all brought back to her again with the loss of Jack. He rang the Captain at Cape Fullarton and the conversation was not pleasant at all. He laid the blame squarely at this man's feet and didn't mince his words." Faith started to sob in Christine's arms, this was not the first time that they had needed each other as they wept together. They would be needed in the morning. "I need my husband here right now."
"I don't think that I could ever stomach another newspaper again in my life," exclaimed Marjorie deciding that she didn't really know what she was looking for. Sonya saw it a bit differently, "So many people live for their daily news and they read it from cover to cover. It's like a tonic for them and they couldn't bear to go without it. They come into the surgery and say, did you read about the floods or how someone was released from prison when he shouldn't have been there in the first place. Now if they could show me a magazine on first aid and medicine then I would be very interested." The proprietor smiled and made a mental note. Other than thumbing through every paper, the proprietor didn't know what else to do, "I'm amazed at your calmness sir," as he watched Peter helping out as best as what he could which was not much as Sonya was the only one who knew what she was looking for. He put his hand on Peter's shoulder, "I would not be as manageable by now if my search wasn't going to plan but you sir are a true gentleman."
Peter didn't have to think very long for his reply, "During my search not long ago, I was helping someone out by getting some timber to mend a gate and some fencing. I saw a man exit the stage and then he started limping along the road just as if he knew where he was going. I found out his story as I gave him a lift. He had eventually woken up from the battlefield in a hospital bed in a foreign country with a shattered leg having no idea where he was. A doctor with a different accent attended to him. The man said, 'I just want to go home.' The doctor took months to repair his leg and the man travelled halfway round the world to get home and I was there when he was reunited with his father. If I ever get despondent at any time I just remember George Harris and the day that I will never forget in my entire life."
The proprietor spoke after a while with tears in his eyes and grabbed Peter's arm again, "I've just heard something that I will never forget, I promise that I will give thanks every day for my good fortune with friends and family and I'll never take them for granted ever again." Sonya also had tears as she tried to return to the task at hand, "Can we all get back to the….." She was cut short having seen something that jogged her memory. She stopped and picked up a paper with the title, 'The Golden Valley Guardian'. Somehow this meant something and it now prompted an enquiry from her, she looked expectantly to the proprietor, "You must have a list that you work with of all the titles of the papers that you order, she was still holding the paper. "Could you give us a list of all the ones that have the word valley in the name." He could see her eyes light up so this must be significant, finally after such a long and tiring exploration. He didn't worry about compiling a list for her, he just brought out the two large books that contained every newspaper title and Sonya started enthusiastically running her finger down the entries and she would stop each time she saw the word 'valley'. She knew what she was looking for as she remembered how Christine had said something when she had the paper in her hand so long ago.
They could do nothing else but sit and try and provide some sort of support but there was nothing that could be done. Molly had arrived earlier at the door with both hands busy with dinner and coffee. She had knocked on the door and was taken aback when Elizabeth opened it for her. She could tell from the intense faces that there was something terribly wrong. She sat patiently and she knew that Bill needed her support from now on. Bill was stunned at the realisation that something had happened today and he had, even if it was just a minor part, had some responsibility. He remembered back to the shock loss of Jack and how he wasn't able to go back and fix it for Elizabeth. He even recalled how they had nearly lost Nathan and how they all felt so powerless for so long. No amount of remorse was going to be able to fix this and make amends to the loss of another young Mountie. "This goes against everything that we strive for and it shouldn't have happened. I'm supposed to be a judge."
Molly had seen her own tragedy from years ago from the mining disaster and how people blamed themselves one way or another. "Bill, you can't blame yourself for this, they were not your men under your command. There is a commanding officer at Cape Fullarton who will have to search his soul for the rest of his life and try to work out how he has made this happen." Bill had never seen such ferocity in her voice before. He was at least heartened a little by the captain's next comment stated in fierce determination, "Bill, I don't care how long it takes, I'm going to restore Gene Tully to his former place that he deserves and we are going to arrange a hero's burial for that young man at Rainsford. Like Jack Thornton, he is going to be remembered and revered in his place forever." He put his arm around Elizabeth in the most reassuring gesture and she knew that it was going to happen just like he said it would.
Captain Edwards arrived at the pharmacy knowing that Laura would be there and that the daughter would be still in school. He knew the families of his men well and she was no exception. She was a vibrant lady and a highly thought of chemist in the community. He tried very hard to quickly allay any fears that she might have with him as he was now showing up at her workplace completely unannounced with a concerned appearance. "Laura, there is nothing wrong with Earl and he's quite alright but I need to talk to you about where he has been." She took a breath of relief but she could tell that there was something wrong, "You frightened me captain and I'm still recovering and catching my breath. What's happened to bring you here to see me?" He told her how Earl was first on the scene at a house fire and how, sadly there was a fatality. "A young Mountie was burnt to death but he saved the life of a young girl. Earl is going to need our support for a long time after having to witness such a tragedy."
This was news that no mother or wife could bear to hear and, even though it was someone else, she still felt sick to the stomach and now she wanted to know about her husband. Captain Edwards could see the distress building up, "Laura, Earl is okay but he is very distressed as he saw the deceased and he helped bury him. He then escorted the other Mountie to Hope Valley." He left out the part purposely about how the two men had been dismissed from the service; he thought that he would be unable to explain why they were there and then how they ended up at Hope Valley. He hoped that some of this would be left to the history books and not wind up at the doorstep of the parents. The loss of their son would be bad enough.
"I haven't mentioned yet that Doctor Parker and Janie were also in attendance so I'm just on my way to see them at the hospital. I would be grateful if you could manage to come with me Laura." She and Janie were good friends and in her cheeky way she had threatened to sabotage the wedding if she didn't get an invite. "Oh, my goodness captain, of course I'll come with you, Janie is a good friend of ours and if I can be any support." She proceeded to lock up the pharmacy as she had been the only one there at the time and they hurried along to the hospital. The captain had described such a gruesome sight from the house fire and Laura knew that Janie was still only young and, even though she had such a wealth of experience and professionalism, this could be very overwhelming for her. He was hoping to be able to avoid any questions about why Earl was out that way for two days and what he was doing. He needed to know what Captain Bedford would be planning when it came to the unenviable task of breaking the news to the parents.
They hurried up the stairs and through the main doors and looked around for someone who could direct them to either Doctor Parker or Janie. The captain figured that Laura could see to Janie while he sought out the doctor for some type of interim report. The nurse at the desk asked for someone to find Doctor Parker while she was telling Laura where Janie was working, "Laura, she came back with her father and has resumed work but she has been very quiet since." Laura headed to the ward where she was working and as soon as she saw her she could see that she was working quietly but full of stress. Janie saw her and she rushed to her arms and started to cry as she broke down with her friend embracing her tightly. They sat silently in the corner together and Laura waited patiently for Janie to settle down and compose herself. "That poor young man to have died like that, I'm so sorry for his friend who was just sitting with him for the whole time, not saying a word. I heard him say that it was all his fault."
Janie started to sob again with her head in her hands, "I saw the frightened little girl who he saved, she's going to be alright. Laura, she could never have got out of that house on her own, that man saved her life and I hope they all remember, nobody knows who he was." Laura took her hands in hers, "Janie, Captain Edwards had a phone call with the captain from Hope Valley, "Those two men are Mounties and after they buried the young man, Earl took the other one to Hope Valley for some reason that we don't know." Janie found comfort in Laura's arms, "I can't get the sight of that young man out of my head and seeing that poor little child who had no idea what was happening, Laura, you're going to have to look after Earl as he was right in the middle of it. I wish that Simon was back home here with me."
"How would you like to be the conductor on the train like this, when you get to the end of the line, you turn around and go right back the other way. I'm sure you would know every tree, bush and fence along the way." Simon was in the process of making one of his many observations to help kill the time, "I'm quite happy to remain a Mountie for now and well into the distant future and prolific train travel is not high on my list and once we get home it will be horseback for me for a long time. I want Janie back on a horse as soon as possible, she was making really good progress there for a while." They were now well on their way on the train trip back home and they had made sure to remind the conductor of the connection to the stage which would get them to Banfield. They were horrified at the thought that they would miss it and wind up somewhere unknown and maybe having to wait an eternity somewhere for another train and all the time trying to stay out of trouble. They also knew that they had to get their heads together and have a note for Susan at Grampton detailing what happened for them all at Masterton. There would only be about a ten minute stopover and they didn't expect her to be standing on the platform waiting for them so, whatever they decided, it had to be right.
"Now let's see, I think you would look very becoming in the dress that I am suggesting for you Allie, it will do just nicely." Allie looked at it and screwed her nose up at the sight of it, "Fiona, you can't be serious, it's awful and it's only good for the rag bin." Fiona smiled broadly and showed her the dress that she had picked out for herself. Allie was horrified, "if we wear this old stuff and Rusty sees us, he will think that Nanna Reynolds is back here again." Fiona brought out the hat that she had planned for Allie who was contemplating running for her life, "you will look just right in this," as Allie resisted every effort to have it put on her head. Fiona put on her elderly old woman voice, "Come on dearie, you will look nice when we go off to our sewing and crocheting group." Allie couldn't help laughing as she still carefully kept her distance. She definitely had no intention whatsoever of finding herself in clothes that she would have expected her great grandma to have worn.
"Allie, this is what we are going to look like by the time your dear old dad gets around to helping with our wedding plans. He must be having a wonderful time gallivanting around the countryside looking for Christine's husband." She grinned at her prospective daughter, "can you imagine when he gets back and he sees us like this. We have to practice walking with a hunched back and a walking stick and a raspy voice in front of everybody else." They found old shoes that were miles too big and now Allie could understand and accept what was happening. She imagined what a wicked mother she was going to have. She walked around the room with her moans and groans and her aching back. "Oh, my goodness, "cried Fiona, "you're a natural, I just might send you to school like this. Your dad is not going to know which way to look and he will probably disown both of us. I can't wait to see his face when he…, Oh, there's a knock on the door, I wonder who that could be now that it is after dark."
Allie was pleased to have some visitors and she greeted them with her hat on, "Fiona, it's Mrs Thornton and the captain and Judge Avery." She hadn't noted the grave look on their faces but Fiona picked up on it immediately as she saw them and became very worried. The smile and frivolity soon disappeared from her face as she remembered previous visits from Elizabeth at the house. Her heart sank as she suddenly expected bad news about her fiancé but Elizabeth was ready for her. "Fiona, Nathan's fine, well at least as far as we know, he's still out there somewhere hunting for Christine's husband with Simon." Fiona had a sigh of relief only momentarily as she could see that something was very wrong. She could see the subdued and broken look on Bill's face.
"Miss Miller," said the captain, "we have lost a young Mountie in a house fire today at Rainsford about one hundred miles from here. His partner and Constable Earl Grey arrived here later in the day in a very distraught state." Fiona immediately knew that news of this kind would affect Nathan after his sense of loss with Jack. She also knew that this was very close to home for her as there was always the possibility, like many other people, that one day that news would be for her just like it had been for Elizabeth. Her heart skipped a beat as she hugged Elizabeth when she thought of the young man's parents and how devastated they were going to be. They decided that they would dispense with the old clothes and wait with many tears for Nathan to return to their arms.
This was going to be about the longest ten minute walk of his life. The captain walked out of his office finally making ready to accept responsibility for his actions. He would have told Virgil where he was going but surprisingly, there was no Virgil to be found anywhere in sight. He was far too preoccupied with his own problem, the one of his own making so he just headed out the door and went on his way. Cape Fullarton was a very prominent port in the territory and it took a large Mounted police facility to support it and the surrounding district. The superintendent similarly in all places around the country had his office well out of the way so as not to interfere with the day to day running of the compound. Captain Bedford wondered what to do if the superintendent was not available or not be there for some reason. He knew that his career was on the line but that was his last concern. He had never had to break news like this to parents and loved ones and he dreaded the thought.
It was a very tense moment as he requested an audience with his superior officer and it seemed like an eternity before he finally entered the bosses office. Superintendent Stanbridge often reflected approvingly on his decision to appoint a relatively young man to the position of captain at the cape and he never had any occasion to second guess himself. "I have bad news sir and I'm afraid that it is my responsibility that it has all happened this way." There was no 'good afternoon sir' or salute as Captain Bedford proceeded to confess to his error of judgement and what had happened since. The superintendent had been made aware of the man who had mistakenly served time in prison but had now been released with the promise of considerable compensation. He wasn't aware however of the recent dismissal of the two men until now.
He sat and listened without interruption to the fantastic tale about how a man could be sent to a prison sentence only to have his conviction revoked due to new evidence. This part of the story, he already knew and he was well aware that this kind of thing was not the first time to happen and sadly it wouldn't be the last. What through him completely was hearing about how his second in charge, the person who he had personally recommended, had taken it upon himself to dismiss and remove two men from his command for making a mistake which was more of an oversight. To compound this error of judgement further he now listened in complete horror how there was a phone call from Captain Foster detailing how one of those men had lost his life in a house fire.