Constable Les Graham had often, in quiet moments, remembered those painful events of ten years ago that were well in the past and how lucky he was to marry the most wonderful girl in the world when he had gone through the hell of thinking that he had lost her. Those memories were never going to go away but now it was morning and time to quickly focus back to the present as he now had a job to do for a fellow officer back in Union City which must be important so, without further ado, he thanked the line supervisor for a quick breakfast and he saddled a horse that they were good enough to lend him and then he was on his way, it was to take a fair portion of the day and it would be well into the afternoon when he would arrive at the next camp of gangs on the list. The horse had earned his dinner by the time he got there and he had success at his first stop. When one gang would finish for the week another would come on to replace then so, after a handover, work was continuous. The telegraph had not been received at this location so it was a surprise to the line supervisor to see a police officer arrive with this request, "I'm surprised to see you sir but I'm not surprised at your request, Buster has been a source of frustration and annoyance to us all ever since he's been here but, surprisingly, he was actually a good worker except for always deliberately throwing his weight around and alienating his fellow workers. He's due back here in a few days after his break.
They were very busy here with lots of activity, trying to get everything back into service like what it used to be and Les was grateful for the few moments that the line supervisor could give him. He was consciously looking over his shoulder and making sure that his men didn't place themselves in awkward situations as they were working in dangerous terrain. "I'll do my best not to keep you from your task at hand but you need to know that, from what I can gather, Buster won't be returning to you anytime soon." He now had the line supervisor's attention but his eyes were never away from the work that his men were doing. "I received a request from the police at Union City and it sounded important and serious, this Buster character is not cooperating with the officers at Hope Valley and they need his details to compile their report. Apparently he is in a great deal of trouble.
Soon the details of the mystery man were on put on paper and, owing to the nature of the request, the line supervisor was only too pleased to have the information transmitted to Union City as the service seemed to be working a lot better than before. He was identified as Arnold Brewster from Line Gang thirty one, South-West division. They would wait for some time before a confirmation would be received and, in the meantime, the line supervisor called all the men together so that they could hear the request that he was going to make to Les. He now spoke with a very heavy heart, "Sir, we had a terrible accident here last week and one our men was badly injured." He pointed to the sizable tree branch that had been pushed out of the way, "that branch fell on him and we could see that he had numerous bad open wounds and he was pinned to the ground for quite some time and he was bleeding badly. His name is Damon Hendry and we believe that he was taken to the hospital at Ringwood."
Les could see that all the men were on the edge as he sat down to listen to what would have been a fanciful tale, completely unbelievable if he hadn't remembered the hastily scribbled note from Carla. He went on to listen how they were all paralysed with fear and indecision until this pretty young nurse appeared out of the blue off the train that had been forced to stop. "This fine young woman never raised her voice at any stage but she gently took over and soon that young badly injured man was on the train and they were going to race to Ringwood for this man's life, I have never seen anything like that in all my life and I hope to see that lady again someday. She was giving that boy a chance."
This was a tough assignment for the line supervisor to have to relate this story, "what if that girl hadn't been on the train just at the right time, we would have had to watch our friend and colleague die slowly and none of us could help him." Les put his arm on his shoulder and promised him that this would be his first job to do when he returned back home. The men in the gang were overcome as Damon was a valued colleague and a good friend to them, one of them came forward and spoke up, "sir, can you please find out where he is and whether he is going to survive, his wife is close to having their first child and she will need to know, my name is Rex and I was best man at his wedding."
A telex rattled out and Raymond hurried to take the information down without a mistake. He was quite surprised as there hadn't been any activity from much of the areas where the massive storm had been at its worse, but now it appeared as if the gangs had been making real progress in restoration. He yelled out to Simon in excitement as they knew that Captain Foster was waiting on this information and it couldn't have come through soon enough. Apparently this Constable Graham was quite industrious and he was a man of integrity as he had said that he would do his best for them and he had done so. Simon made a note as a reminder to contact Les as soon as possible and thank him for his diligence as he wasn't one to leave loose ends, he was interested in the comment about the so-called misuse of a train. He also decided to follow up on another matter just to make sure that it happened like it was supposed to be. The two former police officers had been sentenced by Judge Monroe to prison and Nathan and Simon had seen them carted off in leg irons and handcuffs but they never knew which prison they were destined for and they hadn't seen or heard of them again.
Florence had to explain to Simon how sorry she was but Captain Foster had been quite insistent that no calls be placed to the jailhouse until further notice, she thanked him for the telex that she knew was priority but she was surprised when Simon asked to talk to Nathan urgently. She promised to find Nathan as quick as she could and get him to return the call. She found Nathan at the jailhouse as she delivered the information about the prisoner and they could see from the request that Simon was agitated and needed to speak with Nathan as soon as possible. Simon had been sitting with his head in his hands when the urgent return phone call came from Nathan. Now that they knew who Buster was, there didn't seem to be anything else that should worry them so it was with surprise and concern when he heard the anxiety in Simon's voice at the other end.
"Nathan, I hope you're sitting down, we have a problem on our hands," he started to try and tell a story from half way through and then backwards so Nathan soon was none the wiser. "Simon, slow down and see if you can take a deep breath and start from somewhere like the beginning." It was obviously very serious. He took his time and started from what he thought was the beginning, "Nathan, do you remember those two opportunistic police officers back on the train, they were sentenced by Judge Monroe and we actually saw the two of them in cuffs and leg irons and placed into the prison wagon and they set off under guard destined for Macclesfield Prison." Nathan was listening intently and, so far there was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see but his heart was starting to beat a little louder. "Nathan, all I was doing was following up the matter so I talked to the warden, once I found the right prison and then he told me how he set those men free with his profound apology. He said how there was a misunderstanding and how those men were imprisoned by mistake apparently, they still had their badges and they were able to talk their way out saying how they were police officers from Gladstone."
Simon told Nathan how there was a change in guards along the way and the new ones had no idea who these men were. Nathan was horrified as these men were now at large after being sentenced by Judge Monroe and Blake and Ryan may seek some retribution before disappearing into thin air. Patrick, among others could find themselves in a great deal of danger if they were angry enough to take some action. "I'm not looking forward to the task of explaining this to the captain, remember how he and Captain Edwards made it quite plain to us on more than one occasion, how we were to stay out of trouble as we had no jurisdiction anywhere once we got past Buxton." For a while Nathan tried to convince himself that they hadn't had any real involvement in this other than provide a scribbled note to the judge, but there was no getting away from it, they had played a major hand in instigating the aggressive diversion supplied by Gretchen and Audrey.
"Florence, would you take my gun out of the holster, point it at me and then pull the trigger please," She could see that he had not been the recipient of good news. Nathan was horrified and he wanted to strangle someone, he would make sure that the warden had to account for his carelessness. Simon was in the same position as he was, it wasn't going to be easy for either of them as now they had to break the news to their respective captains. They knew that they were in the right but would their captains have receptive ears or would they come down hard on them from the get-go. Nathan thought that there was only one way to find out. He wandered back into the jailhouse and he showed a grateful Captain Foster the details of the man who they had sitting in the cell. The report was now more than half done and now, thanks to Simon and a very dedicated police officer from many miles away, the report could be completed and they could be rid of this awful man for good. We will have to thank this officer; it seems that he has put himself out for our benefit and we shouldn't forget it if and when the time comes to repay the favour. He was surprised to see Nathan's pensive face and he could see that there was a story coming his way very soon, "Captain, would you allow me to buy you a cup of the good coffee at the café."
Clara welcomed them and scones soon came with the coffee but she quickly left them alone as it appeared that there was something brewing other than the coffee. "Alright Nathan, I can see that you have something on your mind, please don't tell me that Fiona has changed her mind and that you are going to remain a bachelor, do I need to speak with her on your behalf." Nathan didn't see the humour in his comment as he was going to try to tell him exactly what happened, "sir, Simon and I had some issues to deal with when we were on the train." The captain immediately rolled his eyes in frustration and annoyance as he remembered clearly, the very plain instruction that he had issued. This bothered him but he knew that there was no one that he had more confidence in than Nathan and Simon so he was very interested in hearing the story and giving Nathan a chance to tell it from the beginning.
He was the calmest, most calculating man that Nathan had ever met so, once the story got started, the more he accepted that his two men had taken the right path as good upstanding citizens in the community, ones who were prepared to step in for someone less fortunate than themselves who would be in need. "Sir, I am quite sure that you would have done the same thing and not let that young man, Patrick go to jail for something that he didn't do." The captain smiled at the thought of being at the mercy of those two elderly ladies and he congratulated Nathan on their initiative and how it all turned out and how young Patrick was looked after by those two caring elderly ladies.
He laughed when Nathan told him how Gretchen had lifted Blake's keys like a professional. "We have a problem sir; those two men are supposed to be in cells by now at Macclesfield Prison but Simon has just found out that they had been able to talk their way out and they were set free by the warden." The captain had been in the job for enough years so that he wouldn't be surprised by anything that came his way but he thought that this was preposterous and he asked Nathan for all the details so that they could initiate the investigation immediately. Nathan was relieved that he hadn't been stripped of his rank and drawn and quartered. "Nathan, what is this business with Peter Glover and Judge Monroe." Nathan hung his head to one side, "sir, that's another story."
Captain Foster readied himself for the next instalment, "Clara, I think that we need more coffee here please, I think that it is going to be a long afternoon and I now have all the time in the world, make sure that you bring some more of those scones as well thank you." He imagined that this story might be much the same as the last one so Nathan would have nothing to be worried about, however, he decided to let his Senior Constable squirm a little. He thought that, by now, nothing was going to surprise him. There were many things to tell and Nathan struggled to figure out where the beginning was, "sir, the passengers on the train encountered an aggressive man in a suit and bowtie with a loud voice and a bad attitude and to cut a long story short, he hit this young mother holding a baby, clearly hurting her. Simon was incensed and grabbed him and placed him bodily at the other end of the carriage and insisted that he remain where he was until the end of the journey." The captain heard all this and said how there was nothing untoward and prompted Nathan to continue as he was sure that the story hadn't ended.
"When we got to Grampton this rude little man insisted to the local constable that we be arrested and charged and brought before the local judge." The captain was rather amused at the adventure that his men had been involved in on the journey but he nearly choked on his coffee and scone at the next piece of the story. "You mean to tell me that this man was a lawyer and just happened to be the son of the judge." He nearly fell off the chair in horror. "Why is it that you two aren't in prison this very minute with the key thrown away for assaulting a lawyer who just happens to be the son of the presiding judge?" he enquired. He now wondered what else could have happened and he had thought that nothing could surprise him but he had been wrong. Nathan was now enjoying remembering what had happened back then. Clara could see the animated conversation and she was nearly running out of scones.
"The young constable from Grampton knew that rude little man from previous encounters and he had little time for him, it took two days for the judge to become available and by that time we had a full comprehensive report of our findings and all the details and he had the young lady as a witness if need be. He had an additional statement from one Captain Peter Glover who was on that train at the time and we didn't know it. His statement was precise and to the point and it backed up our report. Judge Monroe's son is now under the direction of Colonel Hayden at an army facility until further notice. It was either that or he promised that he would send his son to a lengthy prison sentence." Nathan nearly forgot the last bit, "There is one more thing sir, Judge Monroe recalled some years ago, someone by the name of Lieutenant Foster who, as he described it, systematically took down a board and some of the former members, who were forced to resign are still behind bars to this very day.
"I'd transfer from the coffee here to a bottle of whiskey if we had some after your tall tale of mischief, but we need to get onto this as soon as possible, Nathan, can you get every possible detail on these two men as soon as possible and we need to get this information back to the police station at Gladstone and that may be a problem because of the storm damage." He was already looking for the map again, "If they had such little scruples with taking advantage of that young man, it is possible that they would be quite prepared to do it again and anyone in their path could be at risk. We may have an advantage in that they won't know that we are already onto them and they will only need to slip up once and I will make sure they get to their destination and this time, they will stay there. You are welcome to use Jason for assistance and it may be a good idea to include Gene Tully if he is willing." He polished off the last scone and surprised Nathan, "Well done Senior Constable Grant, you were right, I most certainly would not have stood aside when there were people who needed someone like us to stand up for them. I'm going to make a speech at your wedding."
He was buoyed by his many years of experience and now there were all of the new advances in the vast law enforcement system that were available to him and he was sure that the recapture of the two men would be just a matter of time if they looked at it systematically. There was much to do and he was sure that Simon's similar report to Captain Edwards would mean that he would be expecting to be included as an integral part of the overall investigation and coordination with them. Simon had already looked at a map as the first objective was to be able to communicate with Gladstone and Grampton. The damage from the storm made that impossible for the moment but he knew from his own observation that restoration was well underway and that telephones and telegraph lines would be restored soon enough. He always remembered what both captains had told him and it had helped both him and Nathan over the years, "if you want to catch someone like this, you have to be able to think like them."
Captain Foster was happy that Nathan's epic train ride was going to reveal some of the information that he needed, they poured over the map together and he got Nathan to mark on the railway line where he could identify the affected area, where the storm had been. They were going to need a line of communication from Union City right through to Gladstone and Grampton so including the storm area was their main challenge and it had to be reliable. Nathan and Simon had done the right thing and those men had been charged and sentenced but the justice system had been let down by the warden who had allowed himself to be talked out of interning two criminals. Captain Foster was very thoughtful as he tapped his pencil on the map, these men had talked their way out of going to jail but, what then. Where did they go from there without any money and did they have any horses. Some of the answers would come after the captain would interview the warden at Macclesfield Prison.
"I'm sorry captain, they looked so genuine and they had their badges and they were adamant that they had been switched with the real criminals who had got away. There was no paperwork and I felt that I had no option but to release them with our apologies. We even gave them two horses but we didn't give them any money as they hurriedly went on their way." He said how they asked directions to Fleetwood but he thought that it was strange when they rode off in the other direction, "maybe it was to throw anyone off the trail." There wasn't much that came out of that phone call with the warden but it was mainly the fact that they wouldn't have had any money to work with, all their belongings would have been taken from them back in Grampton at the courthouse so he knew that they would have hurriedly departed with only the clothes on their backs.
They had two days head start but the captain knew that having no money would cause them some problems so that would be a good place to start. If they cared enough, they would have to look after the horses and that meant that they would need money to buy feed for them. He talked to Simon and Captain Edwards and said how Raymond was going to be very busy once they developed a message to release to every police station available. They wrote to the officer in charge at Gladstone marked confidential, detailing what had happened as he probably had no knowledge of the charges and convictions of Ryan and Blake. The telegraph system for all they knew might come back into operation soon but at least they would have got word to the police station through the post. Simon requested as much information as they could provide and some photographs as well. Captain Foster had considered it a distinct probability that they would just try and resume their positions at the Gladstone station and nobody would be any the wiser as the warden at the prison may not have bothered to follow up the matter as there was no paperwork.
At least two weeks would elapse before they would get information back and be able to make it ready for distribution, they would want it distributed everywhere but kept out of plain sight just in case the two felons might wander into a station even just for a free feed and that's where they might make their mistake. Police investigation was a lot different than years ago and it could stretch very quickly from one side of the country if necessary. Captain Edwards wanted every report of a robbery or any incident involving two men probably in police uniform and he wanted it within a radius of one hundred miles from the prison. This would be a start at least until they could get some photographs from Gladstone, they didn't want any display of wanted posters or mug shots around in police stations or prominent places which might alert these men and they may evade capture.
Most towns that received this enquiry found it to be quite strange but they got around to conducting enquiries and this took time. Nearly all places responded with a nil report and Raymond's machine was operating non-stop. One place said that a mercantile had been issued a strange request from two, out of town police officers who asked for some supplies and it was to be on consignment and they would be paid in due course, a phone number was listed thankfully and Simon acted on it immediately. The proprietor was rather sceptical when Simon introduced himself, "I assure you sir that I'm Senior Constable Simon Morgan from Union City, I'd like to ask you about the two men that you had to deal with." The proprietor relaxed a little after Simon's introduction and his relatively detailed description made Simon quite sure that the run in was with Blake and Ryan, "these two men were dressed in police uniforms complete with badges and they said that I would be reimbursed in due course, it looks like I won't see any of that I'm quite sure." Simon was disgusted and he set about reassuring this man, "sir, if you can give me a list of the supplies that you gave them, I am going to ensure that you will get your money and a bonus, I give you my word."
He reported straight back to both captains and Nathan after having to go through Florence once again but this time she said that she could put them straight through to the jailhouse. He handled the letter and renumeration to the store owner immediately and it was on the station's letterhead. They were all in agreement that the town in question was on a direct route if they were planning to return to Gladstone, probably by rail. The other consideration was that Grampton was also on that route and that would be a worry because they could be bent on retribution and the two ladies and Judge Monroe could be targeted. They were well aware that the country's rail system had their own extensive communication system and now any contact with any part of it would bring the entire system to bear.
Macclesfield Prison was located way out west in an isolated area and the journey for Blake and Ryan in the prison vehicle from Grampton would have been long and arduous and very uncomfortable. The change of the guards along the way provided them with the one opportunity that they needed when they finally arrived at the isolated and daunting looking penitentiary. They had noted that the incriminating paperwork had conveniently gone astray so their assertions that the real criminals had got away before the new guards arrived to continue the journey couldn't be refuted by the warden or the different guards. They couldn't believe their good fortune even though they had cooked up the ruse many miles earlier, they managed to convince the warden and they had wasted no time securing their release and putting miles between them and the prison with their horses.
Captain Foster had estimated the distance that they could have travelled in any direction and now they had a report where supplies had been extorted from a mercantile and that seemed to support their findings. The railway would be the only option as Gladstone was thousands of miles to the east and horseback over inhospitable country would be impossible and not an option for them. They had secured their supplies but still had no money to speak of so catching the train was still an issue for them. Simon was able to make contact with a railway senior officer, western region, and provide him with every detail that they had to date. The officer explained to Simon what he was going to do and how their telephone and telegraph system was very extensive and how it was about to be put into use for them.
Simon was impressed as this man said that all appropriate personnel at every conceivable railway facility between here and the extent of the line as far as the storm damage would be advised within the hour and anyone fitting the description of these two men would be identified immediately. They had no photos yet for reference but they anticipated two men in police uniforms who had probably sold their horses to get money and train fare on the line towards Gladstone. He said with confidence and authority, "I promise you Senior Constable Simon Morgan, those men won't be able to catch one of our trains without us knowing about it." It sounded very promising and Simon reported back and everyone found it to be very encouraging. Captain Edwards had a further observation, suggesting that any train coming from the west had to pass through Buxton and that would present them with an opportunity that they shouldn't overlook.
Captain Foster and Nathan started the task of trying to find Tully and Jason as they had plans for them but locating them might be a problem so they scoured the town on horseback as there were quick decisions that were needed to be made. Tully proved to be rather easy to locate as the first place they looked was the stables, he was helping Amy with an overdue job of replacing some of the worn out railings which were in desperate need of restoration. He could see how good she was with horses and how Mrs Thornton had encouraged her to take Sergeant out for exercise rides whenever she felt like it. "I'm the luckiest girl alive to have ended up here in Hope Valley, I told you before how I should've been sent to jail for what I did and it nearly happened if not for the captain and Judge Avery and, most of all, Nathan."
It took a lot more hunting to find an elusive Jason but, from a distance they could see a horse and cart outside the school building. Sandra had taken up Elizabeth's invitation to come and sit in with the children in class and be a part of their lessons. They asked her questions and it was heartbreaking for them when she told them how it was that she came to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. "I lived for my horse-riding and it was devastating for me when I had it taken away from me, I was only twelve but I never let it beat me. I live my life at Fort Clay and I have so many people who love me and that is all that matters." She told them about the little school at Fort Clay and Mrs Hammond who was the teacher just like Mrs Thornton. They all gasped when she told them that there was a little chapel there and it had Mrs Elizabeth Thornton's name on it. Angela invited her to her place so that she could play the piano for her.
Nathan sought out Jason who was sitting in the back of the room in awe of his good friend Sandra who always had a friendly and helpful ear when he needed it. She had always been an inspiration to everyone at Fort Clay and, if anyone had challenging circumstances, they just to ask to talk to her and usually she had the answers for them. "Excuse me Mrs Thornton and Miss Mills, I need to speak with Jason for a while if you can spare him." They walked out into the field and Nathan asked him, "the captain has a job for you and Gene Tully, I'm sorry that you might have to sit endlessly on the train like what Simon and I had to do. As soon as you are free we need you in the jailhouse." Nathan knew that he needed to still be here to help Sandra after she would finish with her classroom duties.
Tully and Jason had been left out of the investigation so far and now they needed to be brought up to speed without delay. There were no orders issued for them so everything was going to be voluntary so Captain Foster asked them, especially Tully as returning into uniform may be a problem for him. "Sir, I want to be useful and now that Captain Glover's assailant is behind bars, I was going to ask to be returned to duty and go to Fort Clay but if you have a different task for me, don't hesitate to ask. I am more than willing to help, whatever the job entails." They were sitting out on the landing well out of earshot of Buster in the cell, it was a long drawn out explanation from Nathan on how the two men were originally captured, tried and sentenced and now they are free and on the run. We are getting excellent cooperation from the railway department but we would like to have our own input as well. It was a complicated plan and the captain started to lay it out, we have requested photographs from Gladstone and duplicate copies of the paperwork from the judge at Grampton. Unless we have that, we risk them being released again at the prison. Those details should arrive from the east and be somewhere around Ringwood by the time a train from the west carrying our two runaways arrives there. We need positive identification which is necessary so that we don't arrest the wrong people. "We have to get it right this time."
Jason had already observed that all trains from the west would have to go through Buxton so Captain Foster said that their job would start from there, "you would need to be disguised as ticket inspectors so that you can screen every train that arrives there, I can't send Nathan and Simon as they could most definitely be recognised instantly by those two men, I can't imagine that they would be stupid enough to identify themselves but, even if they do, you would stay on the same train with them all the way to Ringwood just like ticket inspectors and then, by all accounts, we should have extra officers there by then to conduct an arrest." The captain looked assertively with a cheeky grin at Nathan, "is there any use in me telling these two to stay out of trouble." He went to great lengths to impress upon them that they would not have any jurisdiction on the other side of Buxton but he remembered telling the same story to Nathan who was now trying to bury himself somewhere out of the way.
Jason was determined to make sure that the captain would not regret his decision and that he would do his best work to help apprehend two people who he had nothing but disgust for, he had hated the thought of Patrick, who was probably younger than he was, being at the mercy of these scoundrels who were going to use him without any care just to further their career. He asked the captain and Nathan to look after Sandra while he would be gone as it could be a few weeks that he would be away.
Captain Foster had his final words to them before they would depart, "we have the help of the entire railway department, every railway personnel will be aware of your presence and they will be aware that word will have to be sent as a priority by telegraph to Ringwood to Constable Graham. We've had Raymond sending messages to the location where the information on Buster came from asking for the required and urgent information from Gladstone and Grampton." Tully and Jason soon said goodbye to Sandra and Amy and then they were on their way to Buxton. The two ladies watched longingly as they departed and disappeared out of sight, this was Jason's first major assignment and he was still so young.
(Happy new year everyone, I welcome reviews.)