Parker slowed the wagon as he reached the Monastery gate and stopped. Turning, he lifted the blanket from his cargo. Bouchard's eyes met his. He was holding Elizabeth in his arms.

"I'm going to go open the gate," Park said, displaying a soft smile at Lucas's peaceful companion.

Bouchard nodded, preparing to wake Elizabeth up but letting her lean against him for as long as he could.

After the gate was opened, Scott drove the wagon into the compound and went to relatch it. When the wagon was finally parked outside a small barn in the back, Lucas shook Elizabeth awake.

"Elizabeth, we're here," his gentle voice whispered. "Time to wake up."

Elizabeth snuggled closer, savoring the embrace she hadn't felt in nearly two years. "Do we have to go?"

"Yes," he said. "I need to get you into the safe house. It's late."

Slowly, she peeled herself away from him, and Lucas helped her down.

"I'm going to help Park put the horses up. Stand over there, and I'll lead you to the cabin."

Elizabeth waited and watched for Bouchard and Scott to finish and then took Lucas's hand as he led her toward the house.

"Watch your step," he said as they traveled the winding path.

Finally, they reached the missionary cabin, and Elizabeth was surprised when the door opened and Jeanette greeted them.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "I've been worrying myself sick!"

Park walked through the door first, removing his hat and cloak while Lucas led the way for Elizabeth.

"What is she doing here?" Thornton asked, not at all pleased.

Lucas waited until the door shut and then removed his mask and hat. Elizabeth inhaled when she saw the bruising on his forehead and cheek and witnessed him wince as he slipped the jacket from his shoulder. "Jeanette is turning state's evidence against those who tried to kill me."

Elizabeth nodded, pushing Aucoin's presence to the side and then turning to Bouchard for more answers. "They said there was a crash – that your car exploded. They said that you were dead – Bill and Henry both…I was….I thought you were…"

Lucas reached out and touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry if this has caused you distress."

"Caused me distress? Lucas, I've been devastated."

Bouchard looked at her with compassion.

"It had to be this way," Park responded. "Things were too volatile and dangerous. In truth, Lucas was almost killed. He and Edwin were in the Mountains when the steering went out in the car and they went over the edge of the shoulder into a ravine. Thankfully, both Lucas and Edwin were thrown from the car shortly after it went over the edge."

"Edwin?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes, he was going with me as we were transferring Jeanette to Eagle Creek Jail. He is in worse condition than I am and being cared for elsewhere."

"But when it first happened, we weren't sure about you," Parker added so that Elizabeth would know they weren't just playing games. "He was unconscious for hours."

Elizabeth looked toward the man she now knew she loved. "But you woke up, and you've been in hiding?"

Lucas shook his head. "Yes. Only until they can catch the culprits."

"He's been living here as Brother Felix," Jeanette said with a grin.

Elizabeth squinted her eyes with confusion.

Lucas rolled his own. "That cat with nine lives. Just a little nickname that Park came up for me."

Scott took Bouchard's cloak from Thornton as his friend led Elizabeth into a sitting room next to the fireplace.

"Would you like some tea or something, Chéri? Elizabeth?" Jeanette asked.

Thornton turned toward the other woman, her mind still processing things. "Yes, please."

Lucas led Elizabeth to a couch and then sat beside her, ready to answer anything she wanted and knowing that one of the answers would hit hard.

"Do we know who is behind this?" she asked almost immediately. "Who is it that is trying to kill Jeanette – and now you?"

Bouchard swallowed, answering her slowly. "It's the same group of people. The Hagerty family."

"Who?"

"They're a criminal family that has roots stretching all of the way back to the United States Civil War. Jimmy Haggerty was the progenitor of the family, and James Jr. and Madeleine were his children. James Jr. lived in Eagle Creek and his sister did for a time too until they got in trouble with the law and sent her to live in Paris. She married there and took a new name - Madeleine St. John."

"Jamie's mother?" she asked with surprise.

"Yes," he replied.

"But Lucas – why?"

He took a breath. "I do not believe her original intent was to kill anyone. The best we can discern is that she has a stake in a trust from her father that Bernhardt Montague was holding hostage to force her to purchase land to take over Hope Valley's water supply. We know, of course, that she never filed the deed, which means she lost her leverage. She tried to regain it by digging up dirt on me."

"I don't understand," Elizabeth asked.

"She planned to trade information on Lucas to Montague to use against him in the election," Jeanette interjected.

"I thought she wanted to save Hope Valley – wasn't that why she gave back the land?" Elizabeth asked.

"Perhaps she felt she would be less directly responsible for our demise by trading in information rather than directly dealing with the land – who knows?" Lucas asked. "The fact is she reached out for information that would embarrass me."

"Only I was late in showing up," Aucoin said. "Too late to help with Balfour. And since it looked like Lucas might win, she decided to instead use my relationship with Lucas to maybe control him, should he win. I was the one person who knew everything about him when he was in Louisiana, and she wanted me to get him involved in something illegal by preying on his recent breakup with you and injecting me into the mix."

Elizabeth tensed, and she looked at Aucoin. "How did she find out you existed? Did you reach out?"

"Of course not, silly," Jeanette walked into the room carrying a tray with four teacups on it, and Park quickly relieved her of it. She took a seat as he distributed the beverages. "That information came from your Mountie," she said, contempt in her voice.

"Nathan?!" Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Why would he help in something like this? He knew Hope Valley was at stake."

"He was being blackmailed," Parker stated.

"For what?!"

"For something he did at Fort Clay," Lucas said gently, pausing at Elizabeth's reaction. "Not Jack—don't worry. The rustlers he arrested were under Mountie surveillance for ties to gunrunners who had killed officers."

Elizabeth paused, considering the news. "And Nathan helped them?"

"He didn't know who they were," Park replied. "He did it for a promised promotion. Then, when things happened with your husband, the judge that promised it sent him to Hope Valley to lay low."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I thought he came to Hope Valley because he wanted to see that I was taken care of."

"That may have been his intent after arriving," Park said. "But that wasn't the original reason. He needed to get away from his sergeant…"

"Superintendent Hargreaves," Lucas clarified. Elizabeth nodded in recognition.

"…so that Hargreaves wouldn't find out what he did," Park said. "So, with Constable Thornton's position being the one that was open…"

"They sent him to me- to protect himself," Elizabeth said. Reflecting back she had always questioned in the back of her mind why, if he had come to care for her, that he was in town for several days before seeing her – especially seeing he carried Jack's pensions check, money that she and Little Jack needed at the time. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when Jeanette opened the door to the elephant in the room that the men were not yet speaking about.

"Seems to be a pattern with Constable Grant," Aucoin said. "Too bad he didn't learn any lessons."

The room fell silent, and Elizabeth instinctively knew there was more she wasn't being told. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Aucoin looked away and said nothing, looking toward Bouchard.

"What does she mean by that? Lucas?"

Lucas lowered his eyes and then leaned back against the couch, his own emotions rising as he reconsidered what Grant had done. "I…I don't want…"

He closed his eyes. "Park, would you please tell her. I'm afraid at this present moment that my emotions would not properly convey…"

"Say no more." Park raised his hand and nodded, crossing over to her and sitting on the edge of a small coffee table in front of the couch.

"Elizabeth, what I'm about to say is going to come as a shock. The blackmail stopped for a while, but when Malory made moves to rat them out, the Hagertys began trying to cover their tracks. They hurt Jeanette in prison to warn her, and when Lucas began to protect her and dig deeper into Malory, they went into overdrive. They set the jail on fire with Jeanette in it – which was also a warning to Grant – since he was also a witness. Then, they started pressuring him about stepping in to make sure that Lucas got nowhere near the truth."

"And Nathan went along with this?" Elizabeth asked.

"Nathan cooperated to a degree, but because Lucas put himself in charge, he was insolated from making any true decisions – until Jeanette was being transferred to Eagle Creek where Jimmy Hagerty is a wanted man. That's when things became really dangerous. It appears that they didn't want the connection made with the governor, so they sought to silence him permanently, and they blackmailed Nathan into doing it."

Elizabeth's eyes turned toward Lucas's. "What?"

"We have learned that Nathan Grant was the one who tampered with Lucas's car and caused it to crash in the Mountains. Nathan was the one who tried to kill him," Park said.

Her eyes widened as she was filled with disbelief. "No! He wouldn't! Nathan would never do anything like that! It's a lie!"

"He confessed," Jeanette responded. "Confessed to it all. Nathan Grant isn't who you thought he was. That's what I was trying to warn you about, I just never thought he'd stoop this low."

"No! I don't believe you! Lucas, she's lying! Say something," Elizabeth said, her pleading gaze begging for a different answer.

"Elizabeth, I was there," Parker said. "I heard him with my own ears. He made no excuses. They had Allie and his parents in their possession, and it was Lucas's life or theirs. But he didn't call for help; he made no effort to avoid what he did. He tried to take the governor's life."

Elizabeth's eyes again turned toward Lucas, who was staring toward the floor. "Lucas? Is this true? Please tell me it isn't."

Bouchard's expression was filled with pain. "It is, I'm afraid, all true."

Elizabeth was speechless, as a sense of betrayal flooded over her, and images began to flash through her mind – times Nathan was critical over her relationship with Lucas, times he evaded her questions, and even times he had lied. For three years he hid the truth from her about Fort Clay, knowing this was the pivotal moment in her young adult life. Was he really who she thought he was?

"How?" she said, eyes brimming with tears. "How…how could he?!" Her lips trembled, and Lucas again took her into his arms as she began to sob. Lucas held her steadily. But seeing her in this condition only made him angrier toward Grant, an anger he willfully repressed because Elizabeth needed him and also because he needed to maintain a calm head to get through the next day or so. Then, he would consider the matter.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry," Jeanette said. "If I hadn't shared the ledgers with Walden if I hadn't…"

"This is not about you, Jeanette!" Elizabeth's angry voice said as her tear-filled eyes turned to her with emotion. "Get her out of here! You…you've destroyed everything!"

Aucoin looked astonished then swallowed, her eyes met Parker's who stared back in sympathy then nodded for her to leave. For the next hour, she stayed away until things cooled down and Scott asked them to reconvene so he could lay out the plan.

"Right now, there is a limited group that knows the Hagerty's plan failed. Even Grant doesn't know that the governor is alive. They've reached to Nathan and they want him to get Jeanette for him, so we're going to use her as bait. I'm coming back tomorrow morning and will transfer her to Superintendent Walker and we're going to meet them by the old coal mine. Once the Hagertys show up, Walker's men will nab them. Until then, the two of you will lie low."

"But I…"

"No, Lucas. You must stay. I agreed to retrieving Elizabeth because you were so set on it, and also because I believed you had a point as to the threat against her."

Elizabeth glanced at Lucas with trust in her eyes.

"But now," Park continued, "I need for you and her to stay here and look through Jeanette's log books we retrieved from her apartment. They're quite the treasure trove, it would appear."

Aucoin smiled. "I try."

"You do well, except you write in shorthand. You may need to give Mr. Bouchard here a primer on your methods?"

"Oh, I already know," Lucas said. "Remember, I helped her with her inventory and keeping her books."

"Good. She took copious notes, and since you know the players in the government better than she does, I was thinking maybe you can find something. She has finance records, property logs, and all sorts of things. What I'm looking for is anyone within the justice system or government that could have allowed Malory to be murdered while behind bars. I'd probably start with the Warden at Granville."

"And we can't build this case after?" Lucas said.

"I'd prefer not – simply because when we capture the Hagertys, we need to make sure they go someplace we can trust. We don't want another Malory situation while their crime ring runs free. Besides, it will keep you occupied with something useful. You can stay here with Elizabeth. I'll give you my lucky gun."

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "Your lucky gun?"

Park drew the weapon out of his jacket and handed it to Lucas. It was a Colt 45, a beautiful specimen.

"What are you going to use?" Lucas asked, taking the pistol in his hand.

Scott reached around his back, drawing out another pistol. "My second lucky gun," he said, smiling.

"Oh, my," Jeanette responded. "Didn't know I was being accompanied by an armory!"

"I'll keep you safe," Parker said. "I promise."

Claudius Baker returned to his hotel and immediately telephoned Jimmy Hagerty.

"About time you called," Hagerty said, eager to hear everything was a go.

"I'm not sure," Baker said. "Something smells."

"Now what?"

"I was watching Grant all afternoon and into the night and didn't see anything exciting. But just as I was packing up, I saw someone dressed in black sneak up to that schoolteacher's house at the end of the street."

"The one Grant was dating?"

"Yeah, Thornton. Elizabeth, I think, is her name. Anyway, the bird went into her backyard, which I thought was weird. I waited and watched for a while, and when she came out later to do her business, he nabbed her."

"What?!"

"I'm serious. She looked spooked and fought him but then cooperated. They took off together on a black horse and joined up with some monk in a wagon."

"A monk?"

"Yeah. The guy in black was dressed in a monk's robe, too. Had his face covered. Not sure what to make of that. Except, I tailed 'em to a compound, some sort of religious order or something. There's a church there, too, which I snuck into, and then I slipped out into the courtyard. The wagon with the monk had disappeared, but I could see the lights of another building – looked like a house or something back there. But there was a gate, so I couldn't get close enough to see what it was."

"What happened next?"

"Well, I went back outside and smoked a few, then I saw that detective who was working with Bouchard emerge from the woods. I figure he must have been the one who took Thornton. Who knows, maybe Aucoin is there too."

"That must mean they're on to us, and Grant's talking." Hagerty stood and began to pace. "If Aucoin's there, the only reason she'd be there is if she's talking too. Our whole network is at risk."

"So, what are we going to do? Call it off?"

"No. We move in any way."

"What if it's a trap?"

"We'll be ready. We're to go up there around noon. I want you to bring an extra horse and be waiting on the road out of there, just in case."

"Just one horse? What about Ms. St. John?"

Hagerty smirked. "If someone needs to go…"

"You'd sacrifice your sister?"

"Half-sister and I'd sacrifice my mother if it meant staying out of prison and getting hold of that money. Now, make sure you're there a little after noon. Don't want Grant seeing you, but need you to be ready in case we need to get out of there quickly."

"Got it, Chief."

In the morning, Lucas, Elizabeth and Jeanette ate breakfast together while awaiting Park's arrival. Bouchard had slept on the couch allowing Elizabeth and Jeanette the use of the bedroom, and while things were still tense between the two females, Thornton's attitude had softened somewhat knowing the danger that Aucoin was putting herself in to bring the Hagertys to justice.

"Are you nervous?" Elizabeth asked Jeanette.

Aucoin nodded. "A little. But it's never wrong to do the right thing." Then, she giggled. "Now, would you listen to that?!"

Bouchard looked up from his teacup and grinned. "So, you did hear me."

"Of course, Chéri. I just pretended not to listen."

"Hmph."

Jeanette turned to Elizabeth. "What he's referring to is when we were together, and I wanted to get him to earn us a few nickels by cheating his card tricks. He'd always refuse and tell me that it's never wrong to do the right thing."

"And she used to tell me that was no fun. But I never gave in."

"No, he didn't…except…." Her expression turned mischievous, and Bouchard turned ashen.

"Oh, no. Jeanette, no…"

"There was this one time that we were picnicking out on the Bayou…"

"Please, stop. Elizabeth doesn't want to hear this," he said, his face growing red.

"Maybe I do," Thornton replied. "Go on."

Lucas closed his eyes.

"Well, it was a really hot day. Sweltering, like it can only get down there. And, well…I'll have you know that Chéri was always the sweetest gentleman with me…despite my efforts."

Elizabeth glanced at Lucas, who now had his hand over his face and was looking at neither woman.

"So, I decided to press a little harder one day and made this pitcher of Louisiana sweet tea, with the emphasis on sweet."

"Okay?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, while I was pouring us each a glass, I stood up and deliberately 'tripped' and spilled most of the pitcher all over Lucas's shirt and pants."

"Oh, no!" Elizabeth said. "What did you do?" she asked Lucas.

"I plead the fifth," he responded.

"Oh, I'll tell you if he won't," Jeanette gushed.

"I'm sure you will," Lucas said.

"He stood up and tried to shake himself off, only he was covered in this cold, wet, sticky mess that even all of the napkins in the world wouldn't clean up, so it was useless. I could tell he was trying not to be mad at me, and I'll tell you what, I poured the sorry on…and then I suggested a solution. Just take your clothes off and go take a dip in the pond to get the sticky off and I would wash his clothes."

Elizabeth turned to Lucas, whose entire face was now red. "And did you?"

Bouchard smiled slightly, then nodded once, closing his eyes.

"I see. With her watching?"

"To my credit, I told her to turn around and not look," Lucas said.

"He did," Jeanette replied, then she smiled, placing her hand on his knee. "Only where's the fun in that?"

"Oh, no," Elizabeth said, not sure whether to be uncomfortable or to laugh. "What?"

"I washed his clothes like I said I would and put them on our automobile, then I removed my own and joined him."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open, turning toward Lucas, whose face was now in his palm. Jeanette laughed. "I swam right over to him and hugged him, trying to…you know…get him in the mood? That man has a resolve like iron. Next thing I know is he pushed me away from him and went swimming without me."

Elizabeth began to chuckle.

"Well, I thought he would never come out of the water."

"I knew what you were after," Bouchard finally said, "And it wouldn't have been right."

"No, but it would have been fun."

Lucas sighed.

"Well, anyway," she continued. "Nothing ever happened like that between us, though I did have a little more fun watching him have to get out of the water and walk over to me in his Birthday Suit – and it wasn't even November."

Lucas looked at Jeanette. "Are you done?"

"Almost…" she smiled.

"I was gratified to see that he at least looked, and I can tell you that Mr. Bouchard is going to make some lady very happy someday."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Jeanette!" Lucas said, quickly standing from his seat and almost knocking the coffee table over. "I'm going to check and see if Park is here."

As he walked away Jeanette laughed and then looked at Elizabeth. "I trust the two of you never?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Never."

"Nathan?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Thankfully, not."

Jeanette smiled. "Remember what I said. He still loves you. And I think you are meant to be if you'll just be a little patient," she winked and turned toward the door, having heard her ride arrive.

"You'll call as soon as they're under arrest," Lucas said, walking Jeanette and Park to the door.

"Of course. Just stay here with Elizabeth and keep her safe, and you'll hear from us soon. I'm certain," Scott replied.

"We won't take any unnecessary chances, Chéri," Jeanette said, straightening Lucas's tie. "But if I don't come back…"

"You will," Lucas said firmly but with tenderness. "We're both survivors, you and me. We're alike."

"You're wrong," she said. "I was weak. You've been strong. Stay that way, and don't let anything change you. And I'll try to catch up."

Parker reached for her arm. "Time's up. Gotta go transfer you to Walker."

Lucas hugged her. "Thank you, ma Chére, for stepping up. Que Dieu te garde."

"Et aussi avec toi, Chérie."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek then looked at Elizabeth. "Take care of each other," she said. And then she was gone.

The man in red closed his eyes, inhaling the smell of the morning just before entering the barn. He knew this moment would be emotional, but he never realized how much. They had been together for almost as long as he had been a Mountie, and now Nathan Grant came to saddle him for their last mission together.

Stepping into the stables, he made his way past the stalls, stopping to hand Elizabeth's Sergeant a carrot before walking to the faithful bay steed at the end of the aisle.

"Hey, Buddy," Nathan said, softly, taking time to gently stroke his muzzle and hug his face. "Looks like today's the end of the road for us."

The horse lowered its head and gently nudged Grant as if it understood what he was saying, and Nathan swallowed the lump in his throat.

"We need to get going." Bill's voice entering the stable brought Nathan back to the present, and he glanced at the judge.

"Yeah. I…um….was just getting Newton ready to go."

"Yeah. Well, hurry up. Walker should be here any minute," Avery stiffly replied.

Nathan nodded. "Bill, I'm sorry."

Avery did not respond.

Several minutes later, while Grant was outside talking to one of Walker's men, Henry entered the barn just as Bill was finishing suiting his horse up for the ride.

"So, is everything still going according to plan?" he asked.

The judge glanced at him. "Yes. Walker's men are already getting in place, and Mr. Grant is getting the specifics of when Jeanette should arrive. I can't wait until this is over. The sooner he's out of my sight…"

"Listen, Bill," Henry interrupted. "I've done a lot of bad things in my life. And I know this is hard and will continue to be hard, but, for what it's worth, it's best to let go of things you cannot change."

"Are you suggesting I forget what he's done? Pretend he didn't betray everything he swore an oath to uphold?"

"No," Henry replied. "I'm suggesting, for your sake, that you don't let it eat at you. Right now, it's tough. I know. But with time, things may look different. I mean, think about us. Once upon a time, you couldn't stand me, and look at what a stellar character I turned out to be," he said wryly.

"That was different. You didn't try to kill a man," Bill responded.

Henry's eyes turned serious, and he swallowed. "No. I killed forty-seven."

Avery's lips parted slightly as a somber Gowen reached forward and touched his shoulder. "I'll go take my position."

Bill responded with a nod.

"She hasn't lost her touch."

Lucas Bouchard's proclamation didn't bother Elizabeth at all as she had spent the last ten minutes gently rubbing circles on his shoulder and playing with the back of his hair as he read through Aucoin's ledgers. It was a miracle, of course, that he was alive, and having him there with her in the flesh, Thornton resolved to not waste their moments alone.

"This part is really interesting," he said. "And quite revealing. It says Romeo and Big B wanted a stake in the minerals around Hope Valley, which I owned at the time."

"Romeo?"

"Yes," he smiled. "Jeanette's code. If you ever worked in her logbooks, you'd learn to understand how she thinks. Romeo, by the context, is code for Montague – as in Romeo and Juliet, the Montagues and the Capulets."

Elizabeth smirked. "I wouldn't take her to be a Shakespeare enthusiast."

Lucas grinned. "She's not. That's some of my tendencies rubbing off on her. I used to try to read to her, to try to add depth to our relationship. It's funny seeing it used in this way."

Elizabeth nodded understandingly. "Okay, and Big B…is that B...Bixby?"

"You've got it," Lucas said. "They were key investors in the Foundry, trying to ready it for some guy named Fancy Pants Nouveaus."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and chuckled. "Okay…who is that?"

Lucas nodded. "I'm glad you asked. Whenever Jeanette would see someone with wealth, she would call them Fancy Pants."

"Didn't she know you had money?"

Bouchard shook his head. "No, because, at the time, I didn't. I never took a dime from my parents when I set out on my own and still managed to amass quite a bit in savings. But, traveling the world, seeing its sights, experiencing all that I could…well, it cost quite a bit. I did have investments, which provided me a comfortable nest egg by the time I moved to Hope Valley, but at the time I first moved to New Orleans after a stint in Montreal, I had basically enough to lodge myself and provide myself with food and clothing."

"And that didn't bother you at all, did it?" she asked.

Lucas shrugged. "What's money? Money comes, money goes. Sometimes, it brings complications – greed and fear. Sometimes, you can do some good with it. But it's not something you can take with you, so I'd rather spend my time living my life in a manner that helps others than spend it on myself and waste it worrying about money."

Elizabeth smiled approvingly. "So, Balfour had an investor named Fancy Pants Nouveau?"

"Nouveaus – the 's' is important, I believe."

Elizabeth began to think. "Nouveau is French for new, is it not?"

"That's correct."

"What does Nouveaus mean in French?"

"It doesn't mean a thing. It's not a word."

"Then…?"

"The s is signifying something plural. I honestly think she's guessing at this point because etymologically it did signify something plural, new tidings or new events, but adding the s is just her shorthand to add a letter s to the end."

Elizabeth processed his words. "So, Nouveau – New with and s – is News?"

Lucas nodded. "Precisely."

"Fancy Pants News? What wealthy news guy would have been….wait a minute...Rosemary said that Arthur Gilchrist wanted Lee to come work for Hearst Newspapers."

"Yes, and Gilchrist not only worked for Hearst but was also quite educated about the minerals surrounding Hope Valley."

"But he worked with Jerome Smith, right?"

"He was one of his investors from San Francisco, but I had the distinct impression that he may have been interested in our land for more than just the mine."

"Maybe he was scoping the situation out for William Randolph Hearst?"

"That would be my guess," Lucas stated. "And Gilchrist…and Hearst backed out after the mine was destroyed. Until that happened, it would explain the secrecy around the Foundry as well as who might have come to visit at that cabin that Walden and Spurlock were guarding."

"Where Rosemary was injured?"

"Yes."

"She always wondered who was there. I guess we assumed it was Walden, but if Walden was involved with Montague, does that mean Madeleine St. John and her brother had dealings with him before Jeanette's name was given?"

Lucas shrugged. "Walden operated out of Union City and St. John did do business with Montague, who is also out of Union City. But I don't see any evidence in Jeanette's notes that they knew each other, so a likely coincidence. This section seems to be part of her detailing of Walden's activity, and there is no mention of them."

"Which there would be," Elizabeth conceded.

Lucas turned back to the books. "Oh…here she mentions me and Walden. It says Wally's squeezing juice on C., or he'll sing to Cardinals."

"What in the world?" Elizabeth asked.

"Wally is Walden."

"I gathered that."

"C is me…Chéri. Cardinals are the red birds."

"Mounties."

"Yes."

"And squeezing juice?"

"I suspect this is where she was being pressured for information on me for Walden to use as leverage."

"The ledger books that Walden hid in your wall."

"The only place he could have gotten them was from her."

"And she disappeared at the time."

"She did. It looks like he was onto her illegal activities and threatened to go to the constabulary unless she gave him information he could use against me."

"Which he did with Nathan," she said. "Oh, Lucas. How could they do this thing…any of them…especially him?"

Bouchard turned toward her. "I do not pretend to understand, and for now would prefer to not think about it. We need to stay focused until Hagerty and his gang are taken care of and no longer able to hurt anyone. We can think about the rest later."

Elizabeth nodded, her eyes becoming downcast.

Lucas paused for a moment, then pushed the book to the side. "Let's take a break and walk outside in the courtyard. Shall we? "

"That sounds delightful."

Donning hooded robes, the former couple stepped outside into the sunshine and walked along a quiet path, eventually holding hands. At one point, two of the order's brothers—one an old Friar, the other a novice—were walking through the alcove when the Friar noticed what was happening outside. He stopped and tugged at the sleeve of his younger companion.

Joining him at the window, they both stared, taken aback as Elizabeth rested her head on Lucas's shoulder.

A moment passed before the Friar, after some thought, smiled softly and nodded. "Well, I suppose a little brotherly love never hurt anyone." Then, without warning, he casually draped an arm around the novice.

The novice stiffened, his mind racing. What kind of monastery was this? He quickly turned and peeled the Friar's hand off his shoulder.

It took the better part of the afternoon for Prior Richard to convince him to stay.

"It's peaceful out here," Elizabeth said. "Do you ever just want to move away?"

Lucas furrowed his brow as a pain touched his heart over the irony of what she had just said. "No," he finally replied. "I never did. But I did it for you."

Elizabeth stopped walking, mortified at her own thoughtlessness. "Oh, Lucas!"

"It's fine," he said, taking up the pace again.

"It's not fine. That was a thoughtless comment after everything I've put you through."

Bouchard couldn't find it within himself to entirely disagree, and though he'd like to change subjects, decided to address a tension he felt between them to make himself clear. "It's been nearly two years, and I wake up every morning wishing it wasn't this way."

"It doesn't have to be," Elizabeth said hopefully. "We can go back to the way things were."

Now, Lucas stopped, his eyes filled with emotion. "But you see, we can't. And as much as I love you, have never stopped loving you, I'm just not sure that there could ever be anything between us again."

"But…"

"Elizabeth, I once gave you a choice to determine your true love. I had sensed that there was still unfinished business with Nathan, and I set you free to pursue him if that was your will. At the same time, I expressed to you the creed you had always maintained, that love is worth fighting for. And that includes when it needs defending. But when it came to fighting for our love, you completely shut me out. There were struggles going on within you, and rather than bring them to me, the man you had pledged to marry, you brought them to Nathan. I'll confess that when you called things off – at the time you did and the way you did – I was dumbfounded and did not know what to say. But once the shock had worn off, I came to the realization that apparently you did not love me enough to consider me worth fighting for, and that was a terrible day."

"Oh, Lucas…"

"Elizabeth, I'm not sure what I want anymore. Every dream I've ever dreamed has turned to rubble and any idealistic notions I once had about love are no more. But in the same respect, I'm not sure you're ready either. You allowed me to pursue you for four years, allowing me into your home to bond with your son, and then, when whatever happened happened, you cast me aside without so much as a conversation. So, no. We can never go back to the way things once were. Too much water has crossed over that bridge to do that.

I'm not sure where that leaves us, and at this juncture, I don't believe it's wise to try to push things along. Now that things have changed, why don't both of us take some time to heal – separately – and to know what it is that we truly want. Because if I were to rush back into your arms and the same thing were to happen again…I do not believe I could withstand it, and I don't think it would be fair to you to infer I'm back for good when I may, in fact, have moved on."

Elizabeth inhaled softly, trying to steady her shaky emotions as she began to feel, perhaps for the first time, how much she had truly damaged his heart. She could not argue with him. She had no standing to do so. Instead, it was her turn now to wait for him to determine what his heart was telling him – and if the answer was that it was not to be, then she had only herself to blame.

"Let's head back inside," he said, releasing her hand and walking back toward the missionary cabin. He slowed enough to let her walk ahead, but when he reached an area near the bushes, he stopped.

Sensing he was no longer with her, Elizabeth turned and looked at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears and her throat tight. "Are you…okay?"

Lucas tilted his head. "Do you smell that?"

Elizabeth shook her head and then walked toward him. She sniffed, and then her brow furrowed. "Cigarette smoke?"

Lucas looked at her and nodded.

"Do the brothers…?"

"No. No, they don't. They live the life of ascetics and…" Bouchard's eyes looked down on the grass, and there it was. A cigarette stub, still fresh, nestled in the grass. He knelt, fingers brushing over it, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. The paper was intact. The tobacco firm.

Someone had been here. Watching.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Lucas stood, his eyes scanning where they were standing and then stepping toward bushes to see what could be seen of where they were staying. From that vantage point he could see the corner of the cabin, and then a dreadful thought occurred to him. "Oh, no!"

"What?"

"They're walking into a trap," he said, urgently moving toward her and pulling her toward the church.

"Lucas, what are you doing? Where are we going."

He stepped inside the church, catching the eye of one of the monks. "Get Brother John," he said. "There's a problem."

Walker and Nathan met up at the Mountie office, making their exchange of Jeanette public just in case there were eyes watching. Meanwhile, Parker Scott and Walker's men took their positions at the mine. Stepping inside the mining office, Park immediately confirmed that the underground hiding place was still in place and then waited for Nathan and Jeanette to arrive. Meanwhile, Claudius Baker made his way to the area, staying away from the actual mine and instead positioning himself about a quarter mile south where he and Hagerty could make their escape if necessary.

At around five minutes until noon, Henry, who had pulled his car onto a ridge near Curt Lawson's place to be on the lookout for Hagerty, finally spotted an automobile coming. Using binoculars, he recognized Madeleine St. John's blonde hair in the driver's seat and immediately started his car. Getting out ahead of them, he drove his Buick down near the coal mine where Bill Avery was waiting nearby. Henry and Bill exchanged glances, and Bill nodded, then made his way to his position on the right side of the mine, where he tipped off Nathan that they were coming. Grant put his Mountie hat on his head which was the signal to Walker's Mounties to get into a ready stance. He then entered the office where Park and Jeanette were already sitting.

"They're on their way," Nathan said.

Jeanette took a deep breath, twisting the fabric of her skirt in her hands. "I guess that means it will soon be over," she said, her voice slightly shaking.

Park reached over and touched her hand. "I'm not going to let them hurt you. You just need to make an appearance and then come back inside. Nathan will engage the Hagertys."

"That's right, you have nothing to worry about."

"Your assurances mean nothing to me, Constable," Jeanette replied sharply. "Or should I say, former Constable?"

"Jeanette, this isn't the time," Parker said. "Grant is helping us catch these two. We'll settle accounts later."

Jeanette glared coldly at Nathan, who stood stoically and took what she was dishing out. Any sense of self-defense had dissipated. He deserved her scorn.

In Madeleine's car, things were tense between the siblings with St. John feeling uneasy about the entire setup.

"How do you expect we're going to get both Grant and Aucoin and what are we going to do with them once we have them?"

"Leave that to me, Maddie. Just don't worry, your pretty head."

"I'm going to worry. I have a son to be concerned about, and I'm all he has. If we botch this up…"

"We're not going to botch it. Now, simmer down and get ready to make the turnoff. Nathan Grant and Jeanette Aucoin are the only two people who have the pieces needed to nail us. Once they are silenced, you and Jamie can take your money and go back to France. It will all be over."

Madeleine nodded in acceptance. She needed to stay focused, for Jamie's sake. Too much was at stake.

Pulling off the main road, St. John's vehicle traversed the long dusty trail that led to the old mine. Despite the fact the mine had shut down for good a decade earlier, it was still used on a daily basis as it was also the avenue to several cabins and farms. Still, the land itself showed the scars from years of disuse, returning largely to wilderness. This allowed Walker's men to better hide themselves while maintaining a close watch on the building. Upon spotting the vehicle, Walker's men readied their aim. They wouldn't shoot unless it was necessary.

Madeleine stopped in front of the office and parked about fifteen feet away from where Grant had tethered Newton. Nathan glanced at the horse, worrying briefly that he might get in the way but determined it was okay.

"Where's Aucoin?" Hagerty asked, stepping out of Madeleine's car and looking for any sign of others.

"She's inside," Nathan said. "I need assurances that this ends it and that you're not going to come back in a month or two, or even a year, with more."

"We need to see her," Madeleine said, leaving her vehicle and then standing next to her brother.

"Fine," Nathan replied. "I'll go get her."

Grant walked through the front door of the mining office and turned to the right where Jeanette was sitting, Park leaning with his back against the wall.

"They want to see you," Nathan said.

Jeanette looked over at Parker nervously as the detective drew his gun.

"We'll leave the door open," Park whispered. "First sign of anything wrong, you need to run inside."

Jeanette nodded, then walked slowly toward Nathan. "What? No blindfold? Or is that only for friends?"

Grant rolled his eyes, then took her by the arm, pulling her out of the office. Her hands were shackled with a long chain between them just to make it believable. Park had the key.

"Well, here she is," Nathan said.

"Bring her out here," Jimmy responded.

"No. Come and get her."

The siblings and the Mountie stared at one another until finally Hagerty relented. Nodding to Madeleine, he instructed his sister to be the one to come retrieve Aucoin.

Jeanette's heart was pounding with each step St. John took. Part of her wondered if Grant would actually hand her over in order to save his own skin. Her wondering ceased, however, when Madeleine reached the porch, and Nathan grabbed her, holding her at gunpoint in front of him before Jimmy could react.

"Get inside," Nathan yelled, shoving Jeanette back into the office as Walker's Mounties pulled their guns. Hagerty ducked beside Madeleine's car, using it as a barrier from gunfire while he reached into the back and withdrew a shotgun. He shot one round toward the cabin, missing Grant widely. Meanwhile, Baker heard the shot and took off towards the site with his and Hagerty's horse.

As Jimmy continued to duck, Bill rushed to the porch with his gun drawn and grabbed hold of Madeleine, taking her inside as well.

"Bill!" she said, an expression of guilt and excitement lighting her eyes.

"It's Judge Avery," he stated coldly. "And you're under arrest."

Pulling handcuffs from his pocket, he secured her wrists and then instructed her to stay down.

Outside, Hagerty reached into Madeleine's back seat and withdrew additional ammunition, which he stuffed in his jacket.

Meanwhile, Nathan, who was shielding himself behind a post tried to line up his position to take a shot. "Give up, Hagerty, you're surrounded."

"Not a chance," Jimmy said. He stood briefly, taking a shot at Grant, but then ducking again as one of Walker's men fired from the hillside.

Just then, Baker rushed the scene. He was holding two pistols in his hands and firing at both the hillside and toward the office. One bullet passed through Grant's serge sleeve, missing his body. Another pierced through the window in the office, hitting Parker Scott in the chest.

Jeanette screamed as the detective fell.

Outside, between Jimmy and Claudius, the Mounties were held off. Within seconds, Hagerty had mounted his horse and he and Baker went for the hills. Quickly, Grant rushed toward Newton to pursue. He was joined by Walker who had immediately rushed for his horse when he spotted Baker with two. All of his men followed after in hot pursuit.

Through a winding trail Nathan and the Mounties made their way into the woods. It was to Grant's advantage that he knew these trails like the back of his hand, but when they reached a fork, he wasn't sure which way to go.

"That trail leads to the river. This one leads to old Foundry land," he said.

Walker ordered his men to take the river route while he and Grant went the other way.

They picked up speed, and Grant turned to Walker. "A couple of years ago, they were building a factory, but when the coal mine was destroyed, they abandoned the site. I'll bet they're heading there."

Just then, a rider on a black horse emerged from the forest and joined them. "Not there," the rider said.

Nathan reached for his gun again, expecting an ambush, but then he saw who it was. Grant's mouth dropped open, and the blood drained from his face. "L-Lucas?!"

"What's the matter, Nathan?" he smirked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Grant could barely catch his breath and he tried to steady himself. Lucas is alive? He thought. But before he could consider the matter any further, Bouchard had joined Walker and was leading the way. "They're heading to a cabin in the woods. It was used by Balfour and Hearst but has since been abandoned."

"Hearst?" Walker asked. "As in William Randolph Hearst?"

"Yes," Lucas said. "Or perhaps his man. Anyway, Bernhardt Montague was involved in the land and since Madeleine St. John was in contact with Montague, they surely know about the place."

"Lead the way."

Arriving at the cabin, Hagerty immediately jumped down from his horse and transferred it to Baker to secure it and hide it while he ran inside. The crooked Pinkerton rode a few hundred feet from the Cabin and tied their horses to a tree. On his way back, he saw the two Mounties and Bouchard. He stopped and stared.

"Well, if it ain't the governor. What a wonderful surprise. Too bad it'll be short-lived," he muttered to himself as he moved toward the woods to the left of the cabin to hide and lie in wait in the brush.

Nathan dismounted Newton, and Lucas and Walker did the same with their horses.

"Give it up, Hagerty," Grant said. "We know you're in there."

Jimmy did not respond, though a scuffling from inside the building told Nathan he was right.

"Can I help?" Lucas asked, stepping up to Walker to offer his assistance.

"No. You stay back there," the Superintendent replied. "You've had enough life or death scares, and we want to keep you alive."

"But, I…"

"No. Keep an eye out for his accomplice."

Bouchard submitted to the request.

"Listen, Jimmy. You won't make it out of there alive. Just hand yourself in," Nathan said.

Finally, Hagerty responded. "No, you're the one who won't make it out alive, Nathan. I've got nothing to lose 'cause I'll hang anyway. But trust me, I'm not going down alone."

Suddenly, a shot came from out of the cabin doorway, missing Grant but grazing Newton's side. The horse whinnied and jumped, causing Nathan to turn his head. Walker returned fire, and the three men took cover behind some trees. As they ran, the bullets continued to fly, and Baker quietly made his way toward them. Another shot was returned, which Grant volleyed back catching Jimmy in the shoulder. Hagerty yelped.

"Good shot," Walker said, reloading his pistol.

"Thanks," Nathan said trying to lay as low as he could.

It was in that moment that Lucas spotted a side door to the cabin and he stepped out from his cover to tell the other two men. Nathan heard the snap of a branch and immediately jumped out of place. A shot rang out, and Grant's left arm flew backward, knocking Lucas out of the way. The bullet whooshed past the governor's ear, nearly hitting him. In the same instant, Grant returned fire, hitting Baker in the gut. The Pinkerton collapsed. Nathan began to return to his place, but before he could, a squeak and slam was heard as the cabin door flew open and hit the side of the house. With a shotgun in one hand and a pistol in the other, Jimmy rushed into the open – his aim directed toward Grant.

Nathan turned to shoot, struggling for balance, as Hagerty's finger tightened on the trigger. A gunshot cracked through the air. Hagerty froze. His eyes met his shooter's. A gasp escaped his lips before he stumbled, then collapsed—dead

Nathan turned, expecting to see Walker with firearm raised, but it was Lucas who stood with the smoking gun. Bouchard had saved his life.

All became quiet.

Nathan lowered his gun, his eyes filled with emotion at the sight before him. And as Lucas turned toward him, Grant's mouth quivered. "You're not dead."

Lucas stepped his way and returned his response with a well-aimed punch, flattening him to the ground. "No thanks to you," he scoffed, staring down at the former constable with anger in his eyes.

Nathan clutched his jaw and then watched Bouchard turn his back.

"Take him away," the governor told Walker, leaving Grant on the ground watching and then mounting his horse.

As Lucas rode away, Superintendent Walker reached out his hand, helping a stunned and broken Nathan to his feet.

"I need your badge, Grant. And your serge."

As he stared toward the road, a tearful Nathan watched as Bouchard and his black horse disappeared into the shadows. A tear rolled down his cheek as the serge slipped from his shoulders. He felt relief but also shame, knowing that in trying to preserve his life and standing, he had destroyed them both.

Walker snapped cold steel handcuffs around Nathan's wrists as one of his Mounties came to collect him.

"I'll see to your horse," Walker said, but Nathan heard none of it. The time for his punishment had begun.

Returning to the mine site, Lucas arrived just in time to see Parker being placed onto the back of a wagon to be taken into town. He rushed to check on him and was stopped by Jeanette, who was crying.

"I was so scared. Lucas, is it over?" she asked.

Lucas put his arm around her and held her. "It is, ma chére. It's all over," he said, kissing the top of her head as he walked them toward the detective. "Park?"

The detective looked over at Lucas and smiled. "We got 'em?"

"Yes," he said. "Looks like they got you."

"Just a flesh wound," Parker said. "I'll be fine."

"Wait, I'm going with you," Jeanette said.

"I'm afraid you can't," Bill Avery replied as he walked the cuffed Madeleine toward a couple of Mounties who had returned. "You're still a convicted criminal. You're heading back to jail."

"But…" Jeanette said, her eyes tearing. "Can't I just stay to make sure he's alright?"

Avery looked at Lucas, who didn't mind at all, and then at the Mountie. "Just for tonight. Take her back to the jail to spend the evening and guard her while she's at the infirmary.

"Yes sir," the Mountie replied.

Bill looked at Lucas. "You gave us quite the scare. Is Elizabeth okay?"

Lucas nodded. "She's fine. I'm heading back to the monastery now, and then we'll head home.

"Well, it's good to have you back."

"Thank you, Bill. That means a lot."