TRIGGER WARNING!
Author's Note: There is veiled talk of abuse and incest. The next could of chapters have a bit darker themes then I usually do. There is also steam and some fun thrown in there before we have a wonderful Sunday to end this part of the story
Chapter 10 – Anything but a Routine Saturday
While Maggie was working at the table, Nathan sat at his desk and watched his wife for a few minutes before he pulled out his manuscript. He started working through it, making corrections. Nathan and Maggie each worked on their project. Once Maggie had all the pieces cut for each jumper, she folded each set all together and put the bundles back in the trunk. She picked up the scrapes, sat with a basket of other scrapes and started hand sewing several pieces together to make squares for a crazy quilt.
It was close to noon when Nathan and Maggie were interrupted by the phone ringing. Since Nathan was sitting at the desk, he picked it up.
"Grant residence." Nathan said.
("Phone call from Superintendent O'Reilly." Allie announced.)
"Thank you, Allie." Nathan said. "Put him through."
Nathan pulled out some paper and grabbed a pen so he could make some notes.
("Grant." Superintendent O'Reilly said.)
"Morning, Sir." Nathan said.
(" Are you able to talk?" O'Reilly asked.)
"Yes, Sir." Nathan said. "I was just working from home and Maggie is working on some sewing."
("I have been on the phone with William Thatcher and Chief Superintendent Collins." O'Reilly said. "So you are okay with the plan? William taking Elizabeth and Jack, Jr? Leaving Sergeant? Watching the house?")
"Yes, Sir." Nathan said. "Leaving Sergeant was my idea. We all agree Elizabeth needs help and in order to get the help she needs to leave. Even as bad as she had been, Little Jack needs his mother. William and I had a conversation about dealing with a traumatized toddler. While it will be hard on him to leave, I reminded William that kids are resilient and there are things to do to minimize the trauma."
("I just thought I would check in." O'Reilly said. "I am sorry that you had to come back to all of this and then the whole Bouchard/Walden mess. How are you doing with all of that?")
"Slowly trying to unravel the mess." Nathan said. "I am waiting on information and hopefully there is something that will make it all make sense. Bill is trying to help, but honestly I don't know how much he is helping. I have learned it is easier to let him do his thing and maybe he will actually come across something useful."
("Let me know if it becomes a problem." O'Reilly said.)
"I will, Sir." Nathan said. "I am hoping to have some notes to cover about the tracing manuals when I come to the next meeting in Union City."
("I am not as worried about that." O'Reilly said. "Work on the Bouchard/Walden case. Settled into married life. The rest will come as there is time. Is there anything I can do to help you as you adjust a new life?")
"Thank you, Sir." Nathan said. "Right now things are going well. I was hoping to go to Brookfield and visit Constable Kinslow over the Thanksgiving weekend."
("I will make sure you have your automobile prior to that so it will be easier for you." O'Reilly said. "Remind Maggie that my wife, Sarah, is around if she needs someone to talk to or some advice. Especially the first time you have to leave or head into danger. Sarah is just a phone call away.")
"I will remind her." Nathan said. "Maggie had also befriended Rosemary Coulter. As you know she is the daughter of a Mountie."
("I remember." O'Reilly said. "I will let you go. I am here if you need help. Keep me updated on the case. Let me know if Bill gets out of hand. I have spoken to him before about letting you do your job and he needs to stick to his job. Have a good rest of the weekend.")
"Thank you, Sir." Nathan said. "You have a good rest of the weekend and I will speak to you sometime midweek."
("Sounds good." O'Reilly said.)
Nathan hung up the phone and Maggie looked at him.
"Everything alright?" Maggie asked.
Nathan nodded and quickly summarized what Superintendent O'Reilly had said. Maggie thought it might be nice to talk to Sarah as she had never met another Mountie wife. And if she was offering her help, Maggie might take her up on it. Nathan and Maggie talked about various things as they made their lunch. Nathan knew that he didn't have to help and Maggie had told him as much. Nathan let her know that he liked helping her because it was an excuse to be close to her and spend time together. Maggie smiled and blushed slightly. Nathan thought she looked really cute in her apron.
After they had their lunch, Nathan let Maggie know that he was heading to town and should only be gone about an hour. He had to check in at the office, check with Carson on something and then stop at the mercantile for messages and the mail. Maggie said it was fine as she was going to get supper in the oven and had plenty to keep her busy. She planned on doing a bit of laundry.
As Nathan left the house, he saw Elizabeth sitting on her front steps with the nanny as Little Jack played. He took a deep breath and said a quick prayer before walking toward town. Of course Little Jack saw Nathan and ran to him to show him the stick and rock he had found. Nathan stopped and squatted down so the little boy could show him his treasures. Nathan heard Elizabeth huff in the background, but continued to ignore her and focus on Little Jack. Little Jack was so excited that he was jabbering away so fast that Nathan couldn't understand everything, but still tried to show he was listening and was interested in what the little boy was saying. Nathan caught most of it and understood that he was just being a little boy and was excited about the stick and rock and there was something about a bunny.
… … … …
Elizabeth had known the moment that Nathan had stepped out of his front door. She had inhaled sharply when she had glanced over and saw him standing there. She had never seen him in the denim trousers before. She knew that Jack had worn them, but she had never seen Nathan wear them. She also noticed he was wearing her favorite blue checked long sleeve shirt and the top two buttons were undone as usual. She hadn't looked closely, but was sure his henley was also unbuttoned. She noticed he also put on a ranch hat as he had stepped out of the house. When he stopped to speak to Jack, he had removed the hat and Elizabeth noticed that his hair looked more tousled than normal. She just wanted to run her finger through his hair and brush it off his forehead. She huffed in frustration because she had never seen Nathan look more alluring. She was frustrated because she deeply wanted the man in front of her and he paid her no mind. Even worse was when her son reached out and wrapped his little arms around Nathan's without any prompting. She couldn't remember the last time that she had gotten a spontaneous hug from her son. He would give one if she gave him one or if he was asked. She was jealous of the love that her son showed Nathan.
Nathan returned the hug that Little Jack had given him, then wished the boy a good day. He let him know that he had to go. When Nathan stood up, he put his hat back on and tipped it to the ladies without saying a word to them. Nathan then continued on towards town before either woman could say anything. He might not have said anything, but he had spoken volumes. He hadn't been rude, but he had also not allowed Elizabeth the opportunity to try and twist things.
When Nathan got to town, he went right to the office where he found both Gabe and James working on a mountain of paperwork.
"Everything okay?" Nathan asked.
Both men looked up with guilty looks on their faces. Nathan's expression changed from his previous happy look to a more stern look.
"What happened?" Nathan asked, using his stern Mountie voice.
"Sir." Gabe said, standing up. "Judge Avery said not to bother you and he would talk to you on Monday."
"Well, I am here." Nathan said. "So why don't you tell me your version since I have already been on the phone with Superintendent O'Reilly."
Gabe and James exchanged a look, both swallowed hard and then Gabe sighed.
"You know we helped Judge Avery search the saloon yesterday." Gabe said.
Nathan nodded.
"We found several counterfeit identification cards." Gabe said. "As well as a stash of cash, both real and counterfeit. There were also several documents that Judge Avery was interested in and that he seized."
"Where is everything?" Nathan asked.
"The documents are at Judge Avery's office." James said. "Everything else is in the large safe in the back room. Since someone is always here, Judge Avery thought it was better than being in his office where it wasn't guarded, even though he has a safe."
"We were just doing the paperwork that was required for everything that we had seized." Gabe said. "As well as the paperwork from the public arguments from last night and this morning at the saloon."
"What happened at the saloon?" Nathan asked.
"One of the Pinkertons got into it with a couple of the lumberjacks." Gabe said. "Words were exchanged and there was some pushing back and forth, but we were able to step in before it got worse."
"Judge Avery gave all three a warning." James said. "He told them to go home and sober up before he really got mad. He also told them that if there was any additional problems in the next month, he would arrest them and hold them while he sorted out what to do."
"Judge Avery." Gabe said. "Also got the names of all the Pinkertons that were in the saloon, a total of five. He said he would be doing some checking into all of them and their backgrounds better come back clean if they wanted to remain Pinkertons and not see the world from behind bars. They got mad, but he reminded them he was a Judge and they hadn't informed us that they were in the area as required by their own agency."
"And this morning?" Nathan asked.
"Wymen Walden and Jerome Smith." James said. "They were having a heated exchange with Mr Gowen. I told them to move alone. Mr Smith shouted that Mr Gowen should still be behind bars rotting for what he did. Mr Gowen reminded him that he belonged in the cell next to him and if he kept pushing him that was exactly where he would be."
"Have you seen Henry since?" Nathan asked. "Because the oil office is dark and his car was not on main street when I came in."
Gabe pulled out his little notebook and flipped through some pages.
"I observed him leaving town in his car." Gabe said. "They had exchanged words just after eight and it was just after nine that I saw him leave. He was headed in the direction of Benson Hills."
"Okay." Nathan said. "Any idea where Bill is?"
"According to Mrs Stanton." Gabe said. "He left on the early train this morning heading to Union City."
"Any indication when he will be back?" Nathan asked.
Both Gabe and James shook their heads. Nathan let out a sigh.
"Keep me in the loop." Nathan said.
"Yes, Sir." James said. "Are you mad at us? Judge Avery reminded us he was a former Sr Inspector so we had to listen to him and now he was also a judge."
"No, I am not mad." Nathan said. "I am sure that Bill was trying to help. And I was the one that told him to get the two of you to help him with the search. I thought it was understood that I was supposed to be kept in the loop. So, I want all those reports done and ready for me when I come in on Monday. Also no evidence leaves this office without written permission from me. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Sir." Both Gabe and James said.
"Also." Nathan said. "So we are clear. I am the ranking member. This is my station. So in the future if there is a major development with a case, I expect to hear it from you before I get a call from headquarters. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good." Nathan said. "I have other errands to do. Then I will be working from home. Call me if you need. Also if you see Bill, tell him to come speak to me ASAP and if he asks questions just tell him you are following orders."
"Yes, Sir."
Nathan nodded and left the jailhouse. He stood on the porch and took a couple deep breaths to calm down. Once Nathan had calmed down, he looked around the town and nothing looked worse of the wear. At least it seemed most people were unaware of the tension that had been going on. Nathan wished he could solve the tension faster, but he needed information and it was slow coming. He saw people coming and going from different places like it was a normal Saturday. He was thinking about what else he had to do and debated waiting on speaking to Carson.
Before Nathan could make a decision, he saw Carson step out of the infirmary to see a patient off. Carson looked up, saw Nathan and waved him over. Nathan figured that there was something that Carson wanted, so he would see if he had time to talk as well.
"Afternoon, Carson."
"Afternoon." Carson said. "Do you have a few minutes to talk? I have been meaning to come over, but this is the first break that I have gotten."
"Yes, I have some time." Nathan said. "There are a few things that I wanted to talk to you about as well."
Carson showed Nathan into the infirmary, putting the sign back up that he was with a patient and to knock. Nathan stopped short when he saw Faith standing there.
"I was just going." Faith said. "It has been a busy morning and we didn't get a lunch break, so I am going to go to my apartment and grab some food."
"Okay." Nathan said.
Faith went out the back door. Carson waited a moment and then turned toward Nathan.
"What can I do to help you?" Nathan asked.
He thought he might know what it was about, but Nathan wasn't sure. He looked at Carson and the man seemed nervous and not the confident doctor he normally saw. Nathan realized that something must have happened.
Carson sighed and motioned for them to sit. The two men sat facing each other, each straddling the chair they sat on. Almost like they wanted to have a barrier between them. Each man had something serious to talk about an leaning on the back of the chair made them feel safer since there was no desk between them.
"I have a patient who needs your help." Carson said. "But they are extremely scared. I tried to convince them to let me call you when they were here, but they refused. I am probably pushing the boundaries just having this conversation."
Nathan sighed. He understood Carson's desire to help his patient, but also understood the restraints of confidentiality. He knew why it was needed, but he also knew that at times it made both of their jobs a lot harder.
"Then speak to me in hypotheticals." Nathan said. "If I happen to figure it out on my own, then that is not your fault. It was something one of the instructors at the academy would do when he was trying to protect someone who had spoken up."
Carson nodded. He understood what Nathan was saying.
"So hypothetically." Carson said. "If I had a patient who I believed was being abused, but they were scared to ask for help, what can be done? I sort of got them to admit, but when I pressed, they shut down and refused to admit outright what had happened. When I asked who, they refused to speak at all, but I have a pretty good idea."
"Okay." Nathan said. "First, is the patient a child or an adult? Because that changes what I can do?"
"Let's say young adult." Carson said. "Beyond school age, but not out on their own yet. Personally, I would still classify them as a child."
"Okay." Nathan said.
In his head, Nathan was running through all the people he knew who fit what Carson had already said. However there were so many new settlers it was hard to narrow it down.
"Can you tell me how the patient was abused?" Nathan asked. "Were there bruises like they had been in a fight? Or were there marks like they had been beaten? Or was it something else?"
"There were bruises." Carson said. "Which on a side note, I did thoroughly document in their record. So hypothetically what if it was the location of the bruises that was more concerning then the bruises themselves. Don't get me wrong, the bruises are concerning, but the location is more of a concern."
Nathan dropped his head and said a quick prayer. He prayed for wisdom and strength. He had a feeling he knew what Carson was talking about it and it made his blood boil. He wanted to demand a name and head there, but he knew that he couldn't do that.
"So I can assume the bruises can't be seen while wearing regular clothes." Nathan said.
Carson nodded.
"Can I also assume that you saw the bruises as part of some more intimate exam?" Nathan asked.
Nathan saw Carson's face and knew he was debating how much he could say. That was all Nathan needed. He let out a harsh breath.
"Continue to try and get them to come and speak to me." Nathan said. "I will call Superintendent O'Reilly and give him your hypothetical and see if he has any insight on how to proceed. I will talk to you more about it once I have taken that step. Right now, there is not much that we can do."
"Okay." Carson said. "I will talk to them again when they come in for a follow up this week."
"Let's plan to speak again later in the week then." Nathan said.
Carson nodded. Both men took a deep breath to clear the heaviness from what they had been talking about. Nathan was making a plan in his head about how he needed to ride rounds and check in with each of the families that he thought fit what Carson was saying.