The journey was slow and tedious as many trains were banked up as a result of the massive storm that had taken its toll on the condition of the track as well as the countryside. The further west they travelled on their return, the worse it got as repairs to track and infrastructure would have to be carried out in many inaccessible places so everyone had no option but to be patient. It was still over a day and a half before they would be getting anywhere near Grampton where the conductor had said that they would incur quite a lengthy delay and stopover. He smiled at Nathan and Simon and said that he hoped that they were enjoying the unrelenting noise coming from the other carriage.

"Those people are the 'Plankton Players' and they perform all over the place around the country, they are an absolute riot and they put on a good show even though they are a total disgrace, just make sure that you do not mind being spoken to in very unsavoury terms. They are a major attraction and they are going to be performing in Grampton this time and all the people can't wait. The more rude and inappropriate they are, the better all the people like it." He grinned as he walked away, "just don't be on the receiving end." Simon asked him if he was going to ask them to keep the noise down to an acceptable level. The conductor cringed at the thought, "I don't dare even to ask to check any of their tickets, they would accuse me of bullying and harassment just before they would chuck me off the train."

That little conversation with the conductor had been a pleasant enlightenment and quite a departure from the slow monotonous grinding and squeaking of the carriage and the stop start as it endlessly rolled along the track to some long distant destination which was not coming any time soon. The ever so jovial conductor left them and continued on with his duty with his passengers so Nathan and Simon did their best to settle in for the evening and the night. It was hard to catch much sleep with the endless starting and stopping but they had the thoughts of their fiancés to keep them sane as they stretched out. They blamed each other for the snoring but the awful sound was coming from one of the other passengers along the aisle. They completely missed seeing the little town of Denham as they passed through it during the middle of the night and it wasn't much more than a whistle stop anyhow with no passengers either coming or going. Simon imagined living out here and having to catch the train with your family at about the unearthly time of two o'clock in the morning.

It was not much after first light as the conductor arrived and advised some of the passengers that they would be arriving in Gladstone in about half an hour. Nathan looked around at some people who were still lucky enough to still be asleep and others who were tiredly rubbing their eyes as they woke to start yet another day with barely little to do. They figured that they were barely halfway along in their journey home and they wouldn't arrive in Grampton until well into the afternoon so there was little else to do but watch the endless scenery outside now that the sun was starting to show itself in the early morning. The train trip had seemed to catch up with the people in the other carriage which was strangely quiet after all the noise from yesterday and the evening from that rowdy group. Nathan was sure that they would be back in full voice soon enough and they would definitely not need any encouragement from anyone. You could see many campsites of workers who were engaged in continuous repairs and maintenance of the track and communications and some looked to be getting mobile for the day's duty.

Nathan was pondering over the last few days, "You know, but for a few minutes back at Grampton and also, if we had spoken to the man on the train, we would be back home already and getting a well done from our captains. We could have avoided this exhaustive trip to Masterton. I wonder how Peter Glover is faring after hauling us halfway round the world and not having any success." Simon was optimistic after hearing about the girl who had picked him up at the hotel, "That girl obviously knew about that Sonya lady that Peter was looking for and she must have been taking him to her, Even if that fails to turn anything up then he will know where Christine is when he sees Susan again, it's just a matter of time. Also, Martin at the hotel desk was going to ring that girl's parents and tell them who we were." They seemed a little more contented and optimistic after this little analysis and now they awaited their arrival into the little picturesque village of Gladstone which was now coming into view.

This was very puzzling and apparently very serious; it was a strange request to receive late into the afternoon but Jason decided that it needed immediate attention. He made no effort to try and understand it so he headed straight for Sandra and he would be able to discuss it all with her. He announced himself as he knocked upon the door and when she answered it, her smile turned into a perplexed appearance as she could see the concern on his face. "Jason, you look like you have a problem, how can I help you?" He removed his hat as he entered her living room, "Sandra, I just received a phone call from Mrs Yost at Hope Valley and I'm a little worried. Florence is a wonderful lady who took Amy in before and her and her husband are planning to adopt her as their daughter." He was getting more concerned by the minute, "I don't understand why it would have been her to make this request, I can only think that our captain was preoccupied with other urgent matters and he asked her to ring. Sandra, he has asked for me to get you there to Hope Valley as soon as possible. I don't know what has happened but I'm sure that it must be serious and I'm very worried, I hope nothing has happened to Mrs Thornton."

Sandra was equally concerned and she knew that the only reason that she might be summoned at such short notice to Hope Valley would have to have something to do with her good friend Elizabeth. She was anxious to get on the way but there was nothing that could be done as it was heading for twilight and the road was not that good in the dark. "Jason, can you prepare what we need and we can plan to leave here at first light in the morning. I will go and talk with my father and then I would like you to come with me to Jack's grave before it gets too dark for us to see."

She quickly grabbed some fresh flowers from the vase which was sitting on her dining room table, "Jason, we should go now and see Jack, I can talk to dad later after it gets dark. It was still a rough stony track which would be very difficult for Sandra to traverse in a wheelchair on her own so she was grateful for Jason who was proving to be a good friend to her now that Simon was no longer there at Fort Clay. She was very much on edge with the afternoon's events and the request from Hope Valley and she didn't really know why it seemed necessary for her to visit Jack's grave but she felt that she just had to follow her instincts. Jason recalled how he also had followed his own instincts and set out immediately on sudden impulse and rode off to Hope Valley where there seemed to be a problem which turned out to be Amy's father and he had to be gotten rid of.

She sat silently staring at the gravesite in the twilight and found that she was struggling to find the words that she wanted to say. There was so much history here, a young man who never got to see his young son and won't ever see him grow to manhood and he was taken from his young newlywed wife. She could see Elizabeth's face from the last visit here and it tore at her heart to see a family split like that from such a tragic accident. "Jack, we had a phone call from Hope Valley earlier and I have to go there straight away in the morning. I have no idea what has happened there and I hope and pray that Elizabeth is safe and alright and I will find out for you as soon as we get there." She had remembered how Elizabeth had seemed to have received some word that a young lady was in good hands and not to worry, this could not have been imaginary as it turned out that it triggered Earl Grey into hurriedly removing Amy from the scene and being able to deal with her father. It had to have come from Jack even though that was completely impossible, but how else could you explain it otherwise.

Superintendent Mills was the commanding officer at Fort Clay and he was the type of leader who was able to get the best out of his men. He knew that he was most fortunate to have a second in command of the calibre of Eric Foster who he treated as the son he never had. He could see that it was more than concern that his daughter was harbouring as she started to outline the request from the phone call. "I share your anxiety Sandra as a request for you come as soon as possible would have to involve Mrs Thornton and I too am worried. Eric must be currently trying to attend to whatever has happened so I will have to wait for him to offer his report to us and then we can see where we can support him." He was sympathetic for his daughter as he knew that this may be traumatic for her but there was no alternative, Eric had requested her attendance so she would have to go. "Try and get some rest and report back as soon as possible Sandra."

"How can I possibly get some sleep when I know that my friend is in some sort of trouble." She wanted to leave right away but she knew that it was far too dark with a moonless night to set out anywhere on such a long distance. Morning would come around soon enough so she needed to get some rest and be ready to move in the early morning. Although confined to a wheelchair from her horse-riding accident as a young teenager, she was generally self-sufficient and more than capable of getting in and out of bed. She lay there pondering over Eric and whatever the circumstances must have been which has caused him to urgently send for her. She tried to focus on Elizabeth's visit to Fort Clay and how it had been such a resounding success for her and many other people and how she was so sad to leave in the finish to return home when she had been so reluctant to come here in the first place. A breeze had sprung up and she could hear the broken twigs from the overhanging trees landing on the tin roof.

The alarm went off at four o'clock but she was well awake already and had been looking around the dark room in despair. It was all so very strange and unnerving, she had seen a sight as plain as day, apparently from her dreams but it was all so real. It was as if she was right there with them and she could see Eric and Elizabeth standing close together arm in arm in silence at a gravesite somewhere that was totally unfamiliar to her, and there were all those Mounties in line and saluting like a guard of honour. Sandra had sat up in bed, completely unable to make any sense of what she had seen and then, all of a sudden she could see Elizabeth and Eric close together again looking as if they were saying goodbye to someone in a hospital bed somewhere, the distressed look on Elizabeth's face told it all, there had been a tragedy recently and she had to get to Hope Valley as soon as possible.

Mrs Yost had taken an instant liking to Jason from the moment she had laid eyes on him and she was amazed at the dedication to his duty from such a young man. Jason had noted the sadness in her voice from the phone call and he was determined that he would get Sandra there to Hope Valley and look after her at all times. It was still dark when he waited for Sandra to emerge and he was surprised at how her face was white and the look of fear that was in her eyes as they started to move out. She was completely silent and she barely answered any comment from Jason as they could see there way a little better after first light soon arrived. She had seen and experienced something that was embedded so clearly in her mind and she had no idea how it would have got there, she recalled to herself how she had gone to see Jack earlier.

Carriages were much better these days from the earlier horse and cart times from the past and Sandra was grateful for the suspension which shielded her from the endless bumps in the track along the way. Automobiles were slowly beginning to arrive on the frontier but would still be sometime before they would replace the horse drawn equivalent. Fort Clay was many miles from anywhere way out on the frontier and their contact with the outside world relied on the telephone and telegraph and their beloved horses that they had come to depend on over many years. They were making good headway and the morning sun started to rise well into the sky but there were still many miles to travel before they would see the little township of Hope Valley. It was a long trip for a very worried and preoccupied Sandra who was grappling with the vision that she had experienced in the early morning before sunrise. Everything was so clear and detailed as if she was part of it and now this was something that she couldn't explain.

Jason had planned the journey with two extra horses tied to the back of the carriage to avoid lengthy stops other than a change of horses along the way. This would save at least an hour and he knew that Sandra was desperate to get there as soon as possible. The care for the horses was always the first priority and consideration for the Mounties, something they learned right from the beginning when they first joined. He remembered the journey that he had made in haste before and he remembered his confrontation with the excuse for a man who was supposed to be Amy's father. By the time it got sometime past midday he knew that they weren't far away and the village would come into sight very soon. This was all new for Sandra but he had been here before and he could recognise some of the locations. As soon as he saw the water tower in the distance he knew that they had arrived and he could feel his heart as it began to pump harder.

Jason knew his way around the little town so there was no hesitation in finding his directions. The saddest six weeks of his life were spent here searching in vain for Nathan and during that time they had covered every inch of the extensive district. He could see the place where Allie lived and how she and Fiona were so close and he looked forward to a visit but there were more pressing assignments to deal with at the moment. They drove past the saloon and he recalled how they were bunked inside for so long during the search. He had fond memories of his visit He remembered exactly where he was when Simon came in, trying to restrain his excitement about the news that Nathan had been found. He knew there were some steps to get into the Jailhouse so as soon as they pulled up he quickly grabbed her wheelchair and placed it on the landing. He carried Sandra up the steps and placed her in the chair out the front just as the door opened.

There was no knock on the door, the devastated man just walked slowly inside and fronted up to the desk, "Is it true?" he asked. The disgraced captain raised his eyes to see who it was and then buried his head back into his hands. Now there came a more gentler tone, "Is it true sir?" He could see from the sight of the forlorn Captain Bedford that what he had heard must be true. "I have only just started to try and get my life back together and now I hear that the young Mountie had been killed. I want to know what happened to him and I surely must be responsible for his death." Captain Bedford had never considered that Fred Burns would blame himself for Adrian's death so he started to tell what had happened but not any of the circumstances of how he and Tully had got to Rainsford. "Fred, that young man died a hero and he saved a little toddler from being burnt alive." The captain was far too ashamed of himself to say how he had sacked both men from the service for their omission. "I would never have allowed Judge Avery to review my case if I knew it was going to turn out like this, sir, I want you to return me to prison where I deserve to be." The captain had no words left to say as Fred turned despondently and headed slowly out the door and out of the compound.

It took everything that he could muster to focus on remaining on his horse, all he could see was the vision of a distraught and desolate mother with a little child who was still shaking with fear and clinging tightly to her mother. He couldn't bare the thought that this little girl could have easily been burned alive and maybe even the mother as well if Adrian had not been there at the time. He could see the face of his comrade from Cape Fullarton but the mother and daughter's misery would stay with him for the rest of his life. In a tearful farewell he told them determinedly that he was going to fix it for them and he would be back soon to do just that. They were a family with nowhere to live and it tore at his heart to see them like this.

He couldn't imagine how he was going to face Tully who must be thinking that everyone must surely be against himself and Adrian and no one back at Cape Fullarton was prepared to give them the time of day. Virgil found it hard to ride his horse with tears streaming down his face. It might not look very manly to anyone but he cared little, all he could see was that he had to beg forgiveness and hope that Tully might understand one day. He could still smell the ashes from the destroyed home for the entire journey to Hope Valley. The face of that frightened little girl was etched in his mind forever, "She would have been sitting in there wondering why her mummy wasn't coming to get her." He had checked directions with Mr Wallace before he left and he could anticipate how long his journey was going to take. He stopped for a while at some of the little creeks for water for his horse. He washed his face and saw his reflection and he didn't like what he saw, he was guilt ridden and it was never going to go away. The first thing he saw as he got close to the town was the water tower standing erect as a monument. He knew nothing of this town except for Judge Avery and right then he clenched his fists in anger.

"One more of these towns to pass through means one more closer to getting home," was the jubilant cry from a tired Simon as they were just pulling into Gladstone. It had been a long arduous journey and they had repeatedly discussed the limited success that they had, regarding the search for the sea captain and they were confident that they had made his own search a great deal easier. They could report that he would be in Hope Valley very soon and their trip had been worthwhile. They couldn't remember when they would have gone through the town of Gladstone as it would have been dark and well after midnight on their journey to Masterton. It looked strangely very similar to Grampton as the railway station and platform were right next to the main street. The train was carefully slow as it crawled into the township and right to the station platform and it seemed like just another town as new passengers waited patiently for people to leave the train who had now arrived at their destination. Nathan and Simon took little notice as they waited silently with their eyes shut for the train to get underway again.

A chilling murmur went through the carriage and it caused them to suddenly sit up and take notice. The door at the other end was open and two burly police officers entered, forcibly dragging a young man in handcuffs onto the train. They showed very little regard for this young man who couldn't be much more than seventeen or eighteen and they forced him to sit and they placed another set of cuffs to restrain him to the seat right in front of him. He looked frightened and desperate to be at the mercy of these two imposing looking officers and Nathan thought what a disgrace it was to have passengers and the general public have to witness this kind of thing. He looked over at Simon who was very distressed and nearly in tears. "Simon, whatever is the matter, is something wrong?" Nathan could see the anger welling up in his friend, "I am not alright by any stretch. This reminds me of when I first laid eyes on Amy as she was being dragged blindfolded into the country house by two men just like these two and I remember how I could have shot them right then and there and not even blinked. I will always remember how scared and frightened she was and how she begged them not to hurt her and please just let her go."

This young man looked every bit as scared for his life as what Amy did back then and Simon knew that he was a good judge of a situation and something here was not right. This young man was obviously in pain and it appeared that he had been hit more than once. It looked very much like going back a hundred years ago to slavery and bondage. An angry Simon tried to stand up in order to intervene but he felt Nathan's restraining hand tug on his arm, "Simon, I'm with you, this is a disgrace but we are well out of our jurisdiction here and we can only land ourselves in a heap of trouble if we try to interfere." They were whispering to each other to avoid attracting any attention but Nathan was having a hard time trying to control a very angry Simon. The more he looked upon that young man's bruised face, the more he could tell that something was dreadfully wrong here and he intended to do something about it. Nathan could still hear the calm but forceful words from his captain ringing in his ears and the last thing he needed was an official reprimand from his superior officer for disobeying orders. He too could see the genuine distress on the face of that young man and could also see the frightened look on Amy's face when Simon had brought her back that night after her kidnapping.

There was no placating Simon, he was distressed and ready for battle and he wanted answers, "I want to talk to that young man, I want to know what he has done to deserve disgusting treatment like this. He's only young and he won't last a week in prison if that's where he's headed." He was quite happy for a confrontation right now if that was what was needed, he looked sternly at Nathan, "I am more than capable of looking after myself as I have done in the past but there are ones like Amy that sometimes need us for help and protection." He felt helpless and then he turned again to Nathan, "When those weeks went by and we searched over the same ground over and over again we were getting to the point where we were running out of options. I have never felt so helpless and frightened as when we had to contemplate calling off the search for you and accepting defeat."

Nathan still had no memory of his accident and recovery but he could feel for Simon and the terrible decision that he would have been faced with at the time. He had thought difficult things out many times in the past and now his initiative was required again. "Simon, if we're going to do something here we have to think it through, you can't talk to him with those two men present, we need some sort of a diversion." He surveyed the carriage and could not come up with any credible possibility but he could hear the noise coming from the other carriage which meant that the 'Plankton Players' were back again into full voice for the day and for rehearsal for their oncoming performance. He was trying hard to save Simon from an altercation as he imagined that those two men were also more than capable of looking after themselves. "I think it's time that we introduced ourselves to our friendly and frightened conductor, do you think that he was the one with us when we had to deal with that young Monroe chap. We need to talk with him but well out of earshot of those two officers."

"We need a favour sir," Nathan asked the kindly old conductor. He had gone to the end of the carriage and was waving his hands around in an annoyed manner as if to imply that the people in the other carriage were making too much noise and he would have to do something about it. "Sir, I am Senior Constable Nathan Grant of the Northwest Mounted Police and my partner and I need your help. We think that the conduct of those officers down the other end is appalling and we want to know why. Weren't you the conductor on board when we had to deal with the man in the suit and bowtie who got off the train at Grampton?" The conductor smiled as he remembered that rude man who got his comeuppance at the hands of these two men right in front of all the other passengers. "My name is Noel, what can I do for you fine chaps, just name it." Nathan appeared to be looking impatient and aggressive with Noel just in case the two officers were watching, "Sir, we need those two men to be in the next carriage for a few minutes if possible to have to sort out some problem while we talk to that young prisoner and find out what's going on."

Noel could tell that Nathan was serious but he was now finding it hard not to smile, "I know just what to do sir, but I warn you, you shouldn't get mixed up with this lot, Gretchan and Audrey are bad news, they could part the waters for you if that's what you want, be careful what you wish for." Nathan felt that he needed to remind him, "We need both of them up there for at least two or three minutes, if you can organise that we will be most grateful." Noel could see that Nathan and his partner were trying to help that young man even if he was guilty of a crime, "Don't you worry sir, we will do the best that we can for you." Nathan returned to his seat thankful that the two officers had taken very little notice of him while he was talking to the conductor, now they just had to wait and see what Noel could arrange. He was relieved that Simon had left his weapon in his bag where it had been all along and not decided to take matters into his own hands and invite more trouble than what they could handle.

"You're still the most handsome conductor on our trains, come here and let me….," Noel smiled at Gretchen and warmed to her advances but now was not the time, "Ladies, I have had a request and I'm sure that this will suit you down to the ground." There was a dozen or more of the 'Plankton Players' but Gretchen and Audrey were the most mischievous of them all and after he outlined Nathan's plan they started to figure out which routine would be the order of the day. "Noel, you go back to the other carriage and allow a few minutes and then we are going to raise merry hell in here, just remember, you asked for it." Gretchen smiled broadly at him with some teeth missing and said that this would be good rehearsal for their performance in Grampton. He began to wonder what he had got himself into as he knew what a handful these two ladies could be and he hoped that he would still be around at the finish to pick up the pieces.

To get into town, not so many years ago it would have been necessary to either saddle a horse or hitch up the horse or horses to the cart and labour your way down a dusty track. As Peter sat in the backseat of this swanky, up to date automobile he considered how times had definitely moved on. He remembered with such love how Bert, his grandfather had taught him about the love and care of a horse and how we all depended on them so much. Before the age of ten he could do it all but he was going to need Bert's help for a few years yet. He surely doubted whether he could have survived his four years at sea if not for the complete dedication to task of his grandfather. The car had been all ready to go and all he had to do was climb into his place in the backseat and off they had gone on their short little trip to the district post office. As he had observed previously, Marjorie was a capable driver but he also had observed that the cars were a great deal faster than the horse drawn vehicles of the past and that could present problems.

There seemed to be hundreds of cars coming and going in all directions and nearly all of them were black in colour. "Are there any road rules or do you just hope that everyone knows that you're coming?" Marjorie laughed at him as she knew that he was out of his depth as he sat rigidly in his backseat. He had another reason to be on edge as he knew that they were getting closer to finding out where Christine would be. They had to cross over main roads and make left and right turns and then the large building that housed the post office came into view. Finally, now we could get all of this sorted out, one way or another. He was escorted inside, arm in arm with the two ladies who knew how apprehensive he seemed to be.

The place reminded Peter of the police station in the city which had been such a hive of activity with people waiting impatiently in line for officers to hurry up and attend to their myriad of requests and concerns and he was thankful that his attendance was only going to be temporary. They had to ask at the desk for someone called Lydia who was expecting them and they were glad when this kindly but busy lady came to welcome them, she got down to business right away, "I trust that I will be able to help you but Stacey didn't give me much information to go on." Sonya introduced Peter and started to explain all the circumstances of how they all had met and how they had arrived here to see her. Lydia was flabbergasted at this amazing story and she was watching Peter the returned sea captain very closely. She could see how everyone was trying to do their best for him and move heaven and earth and she planned to do the same thing for him. "Captain, as you can see, we have the most up to date facilities here at our disposal and we should have some answers for you very soon. She could see that Peter was starting to look tired and worn out even though he had declared that he was going to search for his wife for as long as it was going to take.

Many staff members who were at Lydia's disposal swung into action straight after Peter produced his copy of 'The Valley Voice' and soon, after referencing the town of Hope Valley in their directories, they arrived at quite a list for the captain to consider. It appeared, right from the outset that he was going to have to wade through a stack of places with the same name throughout the width and breadth of the entire country. He never dreamed that there would be so many places with the same name of Hope Valley.

"We may not be out of the woods yet captain but we can start to whittle this comprehensive list down with some close examination. For instance, your little newspaper doesn't look like it's from a suburban area so, some phone calls that we will make for you will rule many of these out very quickly." This was a challenge that had been presented to Lydia and she grasped it with passion. She smiled at him warmly, "Captain, I don't plan to allow you to spend the next ten years of your life scouring the country when we can do most of it here for you in one day.

Somebody had found the same copy of 'The Valley Voice' and said how it doesn't arrive here on a regular basis so finding its origin was going to take a while. They were quick with short and sharp phone calls to be able to cross the many towns of Hope Valley which existed on the eastern side of the country. They had difficulty in accessing some of the places in the west and somebody else reminded them of the huge storm recently that had wiped out much of the communications. With the paper appearing to have a country nature to it, a suspicion that it might be probable that the Hope Valley that they were searching for may be in that direction. They selected huge maps for Peter to inspect now that they had reduced their list to about six possible places with the name of Hope Valley. He stood, waiting in awe at the persistence of the staff as they persevered tirelessly with the phone and the telegraph which now caused them to be able to reduce that number down to three which was now much better than when they first started.

"Captain, would you please come over here," Lydia had laid out a huge map on one of the biggest tables that Peter had ever seen. He thought that it even dwarfed the bridge on his ship. Lydia was now feeling that she should be very gentle with him as the other ladies looked on in anticipation. "Peter, we said that we have three possibilities for you but from what I can deduce, this one right here is my best guess." This particular map covered a huge area of the western territory of the country and she needed a little step to stand on so that she could point to somewhere in the middle. He looked and wondered how they could possibly have found this place. It was barely noticeable and not much more of a pinprick on the map. Nevertheless, it showed that there was a little town way out on the frontier which was called Hope Valley. The three ladies gathered around him for support as he stood on the little step and stared at the tiny little entry on the map. He choked back the tears, "Christine, is this where you went to live?"