Jamie had to time his move perfectly. Reaching the base of lock number two, he slowly stuck his head out of the pipe and looked backwards toward lock number one. The huge wooden doors of the lock were shut and everything seemed to be quiet. As silently as he could, Jamie stepped across to the metal ladder and started the climb up, one rung at a time, toward the top edge of the lock.
Upon reaching the ground, Jamie quietly rolled onto his stomach. He stayed low and crawled over to the edge of lock number one. He peered over the stone edge of the lock. There! He could see their attacker. He was just reaching the bottom of the ladder, gun drawn and aimed toward the pipe. Wilkes was moving slowly, cautiously, not taking any chances. Jamie knew he assumed they were trapped in the pipe and had nowhere to go. Finally, Jamie saw him disappear into the pipe.
It was now or never. Jamie got to his feet and burst into a sprint for the head of the lock.
Ryan helped Beth and Colin crawl onto the floor of a huge building. Their wet, dark ride in the pipe had ended just feet away from the paddles of a massive waterwheel. Ryan, Beth, and Colin clambered over the top edge of the sluice channel which would, when full of speeding water, power the waterwheel. Ryan held a finger to his lips, reminding them to be quiet. Suddenly, from inside the pipe, a faraway voice echoed down to them.
“There’s no point hiding any longer. Give yourselves up now, and I’ll let the younger two live.”
Ryan stumbled over towards a pile of building material left from the construction of the sawmill. Beth grimaced at the sight of Ryan’s back as he made his way across the massive building. The back of his shirt was completely soaked in blood. Ryan slung two pieces of wood under his good arm and returned to the children. He passed one piece to Beth and kept the other for himself.
“The piece of wood for you is in case I pass out,” Ryan whispered as he leaned heavily against the wall. “I want you to watch that pipe like a hawk, young lady. If anything but water comes out of it, I want you to start whacking it as hard as you can and don’t stop whacking it until it stops moving for good. Understand?”
She nodded, gravely, lifting the wood above her head.
“Good girl.”
Ryan pulled Colin around until the little boy was behind him, protecting him from what might soon come their way. Together, they stared silently at the opening in the pipe and waited.
Wilkes stepped further into the darkness.
“I know you’re in here. Sitting quietly and waiting for me to leave isn’t going to work. I’m going to hunt you down, one by one. If I have to come in and find you, I’ll have to kill each one of you as I flush you out of this rat hole. The deal to save the children will then be off.”
Wilkes paused and listened. Only a thick silence hung in the air. Something was wrong. His intuition was telling him that he should be hearing at least a slight sign of life in these tight confines … a shuffle, a whimper perhaps, at least something … but there was nothing. Had they found another way out? His foot came to the edge of a sudden drop downwards in the pipe. He didn’t want to risk a suicide plunge into the unknown. Then, a noise did come down the pipe, but it was coming from behind. It was a sound that sent a shiver down his spine. It was the sound of rushing water! Wilkes turned and sprinted as fast as he could for the mouth of the pipe.
Jamie cranked the handles as fast as his arms would turn. The handles were attached to a round gear, which was then connected to a long metal rod. The rod extended down to the bottom of the gate and was attached to a door. The door held back the water from the canal. As Jamie cranked the gear, the door rose and a torrent of water sprayed into the lock. There were four doors in all. After cranking the first one wide open, Jamie ran for the second gear and started turning that handle as well. A second geyser of water erupted into the lock. He watched with satisfaction as the water frothed along the base of the lock and angrily disappeared into the pipe that contained their attacker.
Jamie finished the second gate and was jogging to the third when a movement caught his eye. Much to his disbelief, a hand suddenly appeared from the pipe that was quickly filling with rushing water. It reached out and grabbed on to the ladder next to the opening. A second hand swung around and wrapped its fingers around a different rung, while somehow still holding on to a gun. Wilkes, drenched and exhausted, pulled his body out from the frothing current.
Stunned by the turn of events, Jamie left the gates and ran along the side of the lock, keeping away from its edge so that Wilkes couldn’t see him approach. When he was within arm’s reach of the ladder, he removed the leather satchel from his shoulder and lifted the flap. Eyes closed in prayer, Jamie took the ring of the Brotherhood off his finger for the first time since receiving it years ago and placed it, along with the book and his brother’s ring, in the satchel. He put the satchel on the ground, and then crept to the top of the ladder and waited.
First a hand and then Wilkes’s head appeared over the stone lip of the lock. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jamie lashed out with his foot and crashed it into Wilkes’s wrist. Wilkes screamed in pain as the gun went flying into the flooded lock below.
Before Wilkes could get himself off the ladder, Jamie lashed out again with his foot, catching Wilkes on the shoulder. Wilkes felt his shoulder explode in pain, but this time he was prepared for the attack and on contact, he wrapped his arm around Jamie’s leg. Jamie wasn’t expecting such a quick move, and he stumbled off balance toward the edge of the lock. Trying to stop himself from being thrown into the water below, Jamie made a desperate grab for the top of the ladder, reaching out with his left hand. He swung off the edge of the lock and caught the ladder, but his momentum carried Jamie out over the water and swung him about in a big arc. He grabbed the far side of the ladder with his other hand and buried his two knees hard into Wilkes’s lower back. Wilkes howled in pain as Jamie tried to scramble up his attacker to reach solid ground. Enraged, Wilkes swung a fist up and over his head, which connected squarely with Jamie’s jaw. Jamie felt his head explode as the fist smashed his jawbone. Jamie lost his grip on the ladder and in desperation, grabbed on to the only thing he could, Wilkes’s coat. Wilkes, hanging on by only one hand, couldn’t handle the sudden weight on his back and his remaining hand slipped off the ladder. Together, Wilkes and Jamie fell with a tremendous splash into the bottom of the lock.
Lying on their backs and gasping for air, the two men were swept into the pipe by the raging current. Both were momentarily stunned by their predicament as they were swallowed up by darkness. Their bodies accelerated down the slippery metal tube. Jamie’s only advantage over Wilkes was that he knew what was coming. The sudden drop would be upon them in a second. He only had one chance. Catching Wilkes by surprise, Jamie clawed and crawled like a madman over Wilkes’s body, pushing him ahead in the water, while Jamie fell in behind. Before Wilkes could respond, they hit the edge. The bottom of the pipe seemed to drop out from under them as the two men were sent into freefall with the gushing water. Like bullets from a gun, the men accelerated down the tube until the pipe suddenly levelled off. Jamie braced himself. He curled himself up into a ball, praying that Ryan’s plan would work.
Wilkes screamed in horror. A giant paddlewheel suddenly materialized in the gloom, its blades briskly spinning in the torrent of rushing water. Wilkes’s legs were the first to emerge from the pipe and then disappear under the paddles, the bones in his legs snapping like toothpicks. The waterwheel then crushed its way up his body until it reached his chest, grinding to a halt, impeded by the sheer mass of his body. Wilkes managed a final gurgle as water sprayed out in all directions, searching for a way around the human obstruction. Jamie came next, crashing hard into Wilkes’s pinned head and shoulders. Jamie, too, was caught in the torrent of water, his body thrown up against the stationary waterwheel and pinned there by the sheer force of the torrent. He thrashed about, trying to find something to grab on to. Suddenly a hand grabbed him under his armpit, pulling him out of the raging torrent and onto the wet wooden f
loor. In the dim light, he could make out Beth’s drenched face looking down at him, alarmed.
“Jamie, are you all right?”
Jamie hacked up a lungful of water.
“Thanks to you.…” He coughed. “You saved me again.”
“Can you stand? Ryan’s badly hurt. He needs to see a doctor.”
Jamie looked over to the wall to where Ryan was slouched, unconscious. Colin sat next to him, stroking Ryan’s hair. Jamie somehow staggered to his feet and made his way over to his brother. He bent down, gathered Ryan in his arms, and found the strength to pick him up off the floor.
“I’ll take him down to base camp with Colin to find a doctor. Beth, I need you to run back up to the highest lock and grab my satchel. It has the book in it.”
“And what about him?” she asked, pointing to the jammed waterwheel. A pale arm hung over the side of the pipe below the tremendous spray of water.
Jamie staggered towards the door with his brother. “I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore.”
Chapter 21
Beth, Colin, Ryan, and Jamie enjoyed their cold lemonades as they watched the Saturday shoppers pass them by from the steps of the St. Catharines post office. It had been four days since the shootout at the locks. Jamie had reported the strange discovery of a body jamming the waterwheel in the brand new sawmill to Mr. Montgomery himself. Both Mr. Montgomery and Jamie agreed that the discovery of a dead body in their new mill would make for a lot of bad publicity and a possible delay to the final phase of construction for the canal. Mr. Montgomery hired several trusted men to quietly clean up the mess. Everyone agreed that it was best if the incident were simply forgotten.
Jamie kept glancing north along the long expanse of St. Paul Street.
“So do you think it will be today?” asked Colin.
“I really don’t know,” said Jamie. “But we’ll keep coming out here to the post office every day at this time to wait until they do show up.”
“I’m glad you could join us, Ryan,” said Beth.
“I am too,” said Ryan, hoisting up his lemonade in salute. “All those foul-tasting liquids the doctor kept pouring down my throat seem to have done the trick.”
“Well, take it easy, brother,” said Jamie, examining the cloth sling that helped to immobilize Ryan’s arm. “Even if the bullet didn’t hit anything major, you still lost a lot of blood. You don’t want those sutures to pull apart and start the bleeding all over again.”
“Hello, there,” called out a friendly voice. They looked to the street where a man and a woman waved to them from atop their rolling four-wheeled wagon. It was an older couple. The man sported a wide-brimmed straw hat on top of a head of tight grey curls, his pants held up with a pair of dark blue suspenders. The open face of the wife was lined from constant outdoor work, but her smile was warm and genuine. She shielded herself from the sun with a colourful bonnet and a long, checkered dress. The farmer pulled the old mare to a stop in front of them.
“Are you Aunt Sharon and Uncle Robson?” asked Jamie, standing up.
“Yes, we are,” the woman said, warmly. “And you must be Jamie Galway, the young man who wrote us that beautiful letter. Oh … and there is Colin!”
Jamie took Colin’s hand and led him to the cart. Beth and Ryan followed close behind. Colin’s aunt and uncle climbed down and met them at the sidewalk. She lowered herself onto one knee and wrapped her arms around the little boy as tears flowed down her cheeks.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Galway,” she sighed, cuddling the little boy in her arms.
Jamie, choked by the emotion of the moment, could only nod.
“To have Colin here with me means more than I can say. I couldn’t believe your letter when I first read it. Erin and her family … all gone.”
She gave Colin another kiss on the cheek, then turned to Beth.
“And this must be Beth, the young girl we’ve heard so much about.”
“I heard you’ve done a great job looking after Colin,” added Uncle Rob. “You’ve travelled all the way from Quebec City with him and kept him safe? That’s quite an accomplishment for someone so young.”
“I had Jamie helping me,” she added, blushing at the compliment.
Jamie chuckled. “It’s more likely the other way around. Beth saved my life more than once. She’s an amazing young woman. I’m going to miss her lots.”
Beth looked at Jamie quizzically. “Miss me? What do you mean?”
“Colin’s aunt and uncle have agreed to adopt you as well, Beth.”
Beth froze in shock. “What?”
Aunt Sharon walked to Beth and wrapped her up in a loving hug. “Jamie asked if we could use a caring young woman on the farm. Rob and I agreed without hesitation. We would love to have you join us in our home, Beth. My children have all left and we could use the extra help around the house. Plus, I’m sure Colin would love to have an older sister as he grows up.”
Beth looked to Jamie, to Aunt Sharon, then back to Jamie. “But … I was going to go back to Ireland with you, Jamie!”
Jamie knelt down and looked her in the eyes. “There will be nothing for you in Ireland, Beth. When I return, I’ll be once again taking on my duties as a priest. Your place is here. Colin needs you. Sharon and Rob need you. This is where your parents wanted you to be. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll miss you and Colin. You’re both like family to me now. But this is what your family would have wanted for you. This is where you belong.”
Beth sniffed and wiped a tear. “Will I ever see you again?”
Jamie took her hands. “I promise we’ll meet again.”
Colin’s Uncle Rob stepped up. “Beth, it would be an honour to have you join us on our farm and have you become part of our family.”
Beth turned to Colin and looked at him in wonder. “I guess I’m going to be your new sister.”
“Yes!” shouted Colin. “Beth’s my sister!”
Everyone laughed. Soon, Beth and Colin’s meagre belongings were safely stowed in the back of the wagon. Colin was sitting on his aunt’s lap up on the bench. Beth sat in the back of the wagon, her legs dangling out the back.
“Are you going to be rejoining the Brotherhood?” she asked Jamie as he circled to the back to say goodbye.
Jamie thought for a moment. “I’m not sure.”
“Then do you mind if I keep this?”
She held up his ring. It was sitting on her fourth finger.
He eyed her suspiciously. “You took it out of the satchel?”
Beth’s freckled cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I wasn’t going to take it without asking you. If you don’t want it any more, I’d love to have it so that I can remember our time together.”
He smiled. “How many times did you save my life again?”
“Too many to remember,” she teased.
“Then it’s yours.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
Beth jumped down to give Jamie a final hug. He then lifted her back onto the cart, went around to the front to give Colin a final rustling of his hair, and then stepped back onto the sidewalk beside his brother. Uncle Rob nodded to the boys, then clicked his tongue. The old mare lurched the wagon forward. Ryan and Jamie stood on the steps of the post office as Beth continued to wave until the wagon rolled out of sight.
“So, now what?” asked Ryan.
“Well, you’re in need of some rest, and I hear that Niagara Falls is a spectacular site. Let’s go explore the Falls, and while we’re there, I’ll introduce you to some good friends of mine who have just recently moved to the United States of America.”
Epilogue
Kilkenny, Ireland, 1887
Jamie Galway waited outside the medieval gates of St. Canice’s Cathedral under a glorious blue summer sky. The street was busier than usual. The market across from the cathedral was infused with the aromas of fresh food. Large crowds were taking advantage of the unusually warm day as they shopped among the maze of colourful stalls.
Many passing on the sidewalk said good morning to him and Jamie politely returned the salutation. On most Saturdays, he would have joined the crowd in the market to soak in the wonderful sights and smells of harvest time. But today was different. Today was a day he hadn’t been sure would ever arrive. Unsure of what to do, he simply watched the happy crowds until a tall, slender woman wearing a fancy brimmed hat and long bustled dress strolled up to him and smiled.
“Excuse me, Cardinal Galway?”
“Yes,” said Jamie. “May I help you?”
“I certainly hope so. I was supposed to meet you here in precisely two minutes’ time.”
Jamie did a double take. Those clear grey eyes suddenly seemed so familiar. He gripped her by the hands as a grin broke across his weathered face.
“Beth, is it really you?”
She laughed. “Yes, underneath all of these wrinkles and greying hair, it’s really me.”
Cardinal James Galway wrapped his arms around the finely dressed woman, bringing curious stares from passersby. “I’m so happy that you finally made it back to Ireland! How was your trip across the ocean?”
“Much better than the one our families took to Canada.” She smiled. “Unlike those old slave ships, today’s large steamers are more like floating hotels! You should come and visit Canada sometime and find out for yourself.”
“Perhaps I will.” Jamie grinned. “I would love to come and visit Canada again.”
Beth laughed. “I’ll see what I can do about making your next visit more relaxing.”
He took her arm in his. “I’m looking forward to hearing all the news, but I’m afraid it will have to wait for a moment. Time is of the essence.”
Jamie led Beth around the cathedral’s graveyard and into the west wing of the abbey. Inside the massive stone building, Beth was stunned at the elegant beauty of the huge arched ceilings and stained glass windows, but Jamie kept up a quick pace. This was not intended to be a church tour. They went quickly down a short stairway, then out another door, which led into a small stable. A driver waited patiently on the bench of a polished coach. Jamie opened the door for Beth and helped her climb in. He nodded to the driver and as soon as the coach door was closed, the driver shook the reins to the pair of horses. They quickly accelerated down the cobblestone alleyway.
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