Chapter 9

Union City, Alberta Canada

Thursday, October 9, 1924

They entered a building just a few doors down from the hotel. "What do you want with me?" Barker asked as he was finally able to free himself from the man's hold. Just then two other men entered the room. He recognized them immediately as the Mounties that were at the Valley Hospital when they brought Bouchard's dead body in.

"Take a seat, we just want to talk to you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daniel Sterling, I work for the CSIS. See those two men over there, perhaps you recognize them. They work for me at the CSIS. Now how about you tell us who put you up to cutting the fuel line on the plane Governor Bouchard was flying in." Daniel said with a steely look as he pushed Barker into the chair behind him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Barker said with a cocky grin. "The newspapers said it was an unfortunate accident. So, I don't know why you're blaming me." Barker told him coldly.

"But we know better, now, don't we? You're a two-bit criminal but you've stepped up your game to now include murder. You can go down for Bouchard's death on your own or you can take Balfour with you. Which is it going to be?" Daniel asked in a calm reasonable tone. "But I assure you either way you're going down. You can count on it." Daniel told him with a cold smile.

"You don't scare me. You've got nothing and we both know it. You're all talk." Barker said as he could start to feel himself sweat.

"Here's what we do know. The gas line on the plane that Governor Bouchard was flying was cut just enough for it to run out of gas over the forest. Now those two men over there, they are willing to testify that they saw you around the airport shortly before the governor took off from the airfield. Now who is a jury going to believe, them or you?" Daniel said with a menacing stare.

You've got nothing. Maybe I was there to inquire about flying lessons. What motive would I have for wanting to kill the governor? I don't even know him, plus I voted for him." Barker told him.

"Well, that is a very good question. You yourself have no reason to kill the governor other than for money. All we have to do is prove that Balfour hired you to take out Bouchard. We have several witnesses that saw you with Balfour at the Gideon Hotel on several occasions and they overhead your conversations. Again, these are men who will be believed. But here's the clincher for you Johnny." Daniel said as he leaned in close to Barker's face staring him directly in the eye.

"Are you listening closely? Lucas was like a son to me and you murdered him. If you think I am going to let that go unpunished, you are stupider than I thought. Even if it means I have to manufacture evidence I will. Do you remember when I told you I worked for the CSIS? I forget to mention that I am the top cop in the country whatever I say goes. You don't get higher than me when it comes to law enforcement in Canada. Now, Johnny what would you like to say?"

Barker stared at the men then lowered his head. He had seen those men around Hope Valley, they could have noticed him around town, he wasn't sure. But none of that really mattered he thought. Sterling wanted whoever was responsible for Bouchard's death to pay. It hit him then, there would be no getting out of this, the jig was up. If he was going down, he wasn't going down alone. Balfour had dragged him into this mess, if anyone should pay it should be Balfour.

"So, what's it going to be Barker?" Daniel asked. "My patience is running thin."

"You win." He said dejected. "Balfour hired me to get rid of Bouchard in such manner that it could not be tied back to him in any way. The ingeniousness of a plane crash was my idea." He said with pride.

"How did you know that Governor Bouchard would be flying a plane that day." Sterling asked wondering how Barker how lucked out with the plan he came up with.

"Simple, the assistant to Bouchard's press secretary, is a homely young woman named Martha. I befriended her. She doesn't get much attention from men so when I started paying attention to her it was easy to get her to open up. She was so excited to have some male attention she didn't pay much attention to all the questions I asked her about the governor. She told me about Bouchard's love of flying and that whenever he was in Hope Valley, he took flying lessons from his brother-in-law. They never put his flying lessons on his official schedule as it was felt most of the public probably wouldn't approve of the governor partaking in such a dangerous activity. So, when I heard that his last campaign stop was in Hope Valley, I figured I had my chance. He was having breakfast with the mayor on Friday morning and I overheard Bouchard tell him that he hoped to get in a flying lesson that day. It all worked out perfectly.

"Has Balfour paid you yet?" Daniel asked.

"No, not yet. He is going to withdraw the funds from his bank account today. I'm to meet him tonight to finally get my money. He insisted on waiting until the newspapers confirmed Bouchard's death." He told him.

"How much is he going to pay you?" Daniel asked in a disgusted tone.

"5 grand" Barker told him.

"A man's life was only worth 5 grand." He told him shaking his head. Daniel then turned to William. "Put Turner on this, I want to know when Balfour withdraws the funds." He told his agent.

Declan then walked over and handed a piece of paper and pen to Barker. "Write it all down. All of it. Don't leave anything out." Declan said with disdain.

Once he was finished writing, Daniel reviewed Barker's confession. "This will do nicely." Daniel said with a smile. He nodded to Declan and William who came over and pulled Barker out of the chair. "One more thing before these men haul you off to jail." Daniel told him.

"What now?" Barker said angrily. Just then a tall man entered the room and walked slowly toward him. Barker stared in disbelief.

"Never saw a dead man walking before?" Lucas said calmly as he reached Barker. He stared in amazement as Lucas gave him a solid punch in the gut as Declan and William held him up.

Barker started laughing uncontrollably. "Well played Bouchard. I'm just sorry I'm going to miss old Bix's face when he sees you alive and well and he realizes his plan is all shot to hell."

"Take him away." Daniel told his agents.

Lucas turned to Daniel. "You got what we needed?" He asked hopefully.

"Once he realized who he was dealing with he decided to drop the charade. He knew there was no getting out of this. He was more than happy to give up Balfour." Daniel said as he patted him on the back. "One down, one to go." Daniel told him as he smiled at Lucas.

"Barker was to meet Balfour tonight to get paid for killing you. I have agents tailing Balfour now and they will let me know when he has withdrawn the cash from the bank. Will you be ready to end this tonight?" Daniel asked.

"I'm more than ready to get this over with. Instead of Barker, Old Bix can meet with me instead. Putting this man behind bars for good will be my pleasure." Lucas said with an easy smile.

"Just like old times my boy, just like old times" Daniel told him. "Balfour won't know what hit him."

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MaKayla watched as Lucas was getting dressed to meet Balfour in half an hour. She swallowed hard as she watched him put on his shoulder holster. "Are you sure that you will not be in any danger?" MaKayla asked nervously. Lucas stopped what he was doing and walked over to his wife.

He gently held her face in his hands as their eyes met "I'm sure. I promise you Bixby Balfour will never get the best of me again. He is going down for conspiracy to commit murder. He will spend the rest of his life in prison." Lucas told her as he kissed. "Just another hour or so and this will be over and then we can go home and be with our children." He told her as he brought her in for a tight embrace.

She pulled away and gazed into his eyes. "I never really gave much thought to what your life was like as an agent. From the outside looking in, it just sounds exciting especially for a thrill seeker. But now I realize I was wrong. As an agent you were always looking over your shoulder, playing mind games with people and they with you. Never knowing who you could trust. Never knowing who was putting a knife in your back. All your nightmares and insecurities make so much more sense to me now. I've only experienced this kind of life for a few days. I can only imagine what doing this for years must have been like. Then you found Hope Valley and Elizabeth and thought you could finally stop and rest. I truly understand now why Elizabeth's betrayal devastated you so much." She said with sorrowful eyes.

"I'm so sorry MaKayla. I never…" He trailed off not sure how to say what he needed to.

She raised her finger to his lips. "You don't have to be sorry, Lucas. I'm glad that I now understand better. The peace of mind that so many of us take for granted, you gave up for the good of your country. Then you did it a second time when you ran for governor to protect Hope Valley for Elizabeth, where you ultimately suffered the biggest betrayal of your life. I want you to know that I love you, all of you. The past, the present and whatever the future holds." She said lovingly as she then touched the side of his face. "We are a team. We are in this life together. Always. Don't ever forget that. You never have to doubt my intentions or my love." She told him as tears filled her eyes.

"I love you with all my heart MaKayla Bouchard." Lucas said as he kissed her passionately.

Lucas went downstairs to meet Daniel, Declan and William. "Showtime boys, are we ready to end this once and for all? Lucas asked. They all smiled at Lucas who adjusted his hat to cover his face.

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Balfour sat at his desk with a shot of whiskey. He had sent all his men home. It had occurred to him that letting Barker live was something he could ill afford. He was the only person who could tie him directly to Bouchard's death. Barker was a two-bit crook and he knew that a life time of blackmail was ahead, of that he was sure, unless he got rid of Barker now. Balfour was really not one to do his own dirty work but when needed he could pull a trigger as good as the next man. He knew Barker wouldn't see it coming.

He looked at his pocket watch, 6:15 p.m. Barker was late but he had never really known Johnny to be on time. Finally, there was a knock on his office door. "Come in" Balfour called out.

Lucas opened the door but left it ajar. Balfour looked up from his desk at the same time Lucas walked through the door. Lucas raised his head and slowly took off his hat.

Balfour stood up and stared in horror. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Bix. Cat got your tongue?" Lucas said with a laugh.

It took Balfour a moment to find his voice. "The newspaper said you were dead, so yes, I do feel like I've seen a ghost." Balfour said as calmly as he could muster given this sudden turn of events. "But, of course, this is wonderful news. I'm sure that pretty little wife of yours is very happy. I just don't understand?" Balfour now wished he hadn't sent all his men home. Bouchard had the look of a man out for revenge.

"No need to stand. Take a seat, so we can have a chat and I will explain it all to you." Lucas said light heartedly. Balfour slowly eased himself back into his chair never taking his eyes off Bouchard. Lucas sat down in the chair in front of Balfour's desk.

"First, in case you were wondering. Barker won't be joining us this evening. I've already taken care of him." Lucas said with a dimpled grin.

Well, it's really a very interesting story which I'm more than happy to explain to you. The fuel line on the plane I was flying was cut. A nice clean cut. Someone obviously wanted that plane to crash and it seems I was their target. I'll be honest they almost succeed. Luckily my brother-in-law and I survived the crash and were not badly injured. We were lost in the forest for five days but fortunately we found our way out. Wasn't that fortuitous, Bix?" Lucas said with a smile.

"Very" Balfour said nervously.

"So, you see I had a lot of time to think walking through the woods, cold, hungry, hurt, about who would benefit if I ended up dead before the election rolled around? Especially if I died in a manner that didn't seem suspicious. Something that would be ruled an accident. Can you think of anyone?" Lucas asked with a smirk.

"Listen here, Bouchard, if you're trying to imply that I had anything…." Balfour trailed off as Lucas spoke again.

"I'm not implying anything Bix, I'm telling you. I know all about your nasty scheme." Lucas told him. "But I do admit I would like to hear it directly from you." Lucas said. "And as a dead man, I have all the time in the world to sit here and wait until you do." Lucas said with an eerily calm demeanor.

Balfour swallowed hard. "Now listen Bouchard. I had nothing to do with what happened to you." Balfour said calmly.

"Really and I bet you don't know Johnny Barker either?" Lucas asked.

"No, I've never heard of him." Balfour said as he felt himself starting to grow more uneasy with this conversation.

"Well, I have witnesses who will testify that they saw the two of you together on numerous occasions. It's a funny thing, people tend to overlook waiters at restaurants, like they don't really exist. How many times did you meet Barker at the Gideon Hotel for drinks or breakfast? There are two separate waiters there that are more than willing to testify to your conversations with Barker. Honorable men who will be believed. Not to mention that the two of you shared a prison cell for a bit at Granville. Then there is this little thing called a confession that Barker gave to me earlier today when we had a little chat. Lucas said as he reached inside his pocket to take out a piece of paper.

Lucas handed it to Balfour. "Here you go. Read it for yourself." Lucas told him. "I'll wait." Balfour read the confession and then looked up at Bouchard.

"He's a two-bit criminal. No one will believe him." Balfour said hoarsely as his throat was becoming very dry.

Lucas slammed his fist down hard on to the desk. "Bix, Bix, Bix, but you see I believe him!" Lucas said leaning closer to Balfour. "Would you like to learn a little-known fact about me?" Lucas asked softer now sitting back calmly in his chair again.

"Like what?" Balfour asked curiously.

"I was once an agent for the crown. I have dealt with men much worse than you. And I was trained on how to make a man disappear and no one be the wiser. You caused my wife a lot of pain and suffering and I cannot let that go. And now you have worn out my patience. Which I might add is a pretty hard thing to do. I think it's time to end this charade." Lucas told him sternly.

"Oh, and Bix, if you move your hand one more iota to go for the gun you have taped under your desk, you're going to force my hand and I just may have to shoot you." Lucas said as he stood up.

"Listen Bouchard, we can make a deal." Lucas let out a hearty laugh as he started to go for his shoulder holster, but stopped as Balfour spoke up again

"Alright, alright. You win. I did hire Johnny Barker to eliminate you. Though the plane crash was his idea. You have been a thorn in my side for four years now, first with your stunt at the Governor's Ball in Hope Valley, telling everyone about the water diversion plan. One by one you have dismantled everything I put in place. You needed to be eliminated. I'm just sorry I hired an inept person like Johnny Barker to do the job. So now that you know, what are you going to do about it? No one will believe Barker over me and it would be your word against mine. A man who faked his own death. No jury would convict me on such flimsy circumstantial evidence." He told him with a smug smile. "I still own a lot of people in Union City and Capital City." He said with self-righteous indignation

"Interesting." Lucas said. "You're really not giving me a lot of reasons to keep you alive. Did you miss the part about my being able to make a man disappear and no one being the wiser. Well, let me refresh your memory." Lucas pulled his gun out of his holster and pointed it at Balfour and pulled the hammer back.

"You don't have the guts to shoot me." Balfour said as he stared at his nemesis as the gun went off.