The door opened and out stepped Brendan, in stocking feet and in Bridget's room. Caroline gave him a look.
“Hey. Gimme a minute.”
"I'll give ya a whole lot more than that, I wanna know what happened," Caroline frowned.
Brendan opened the door to another room and the pair entered that. Probably for the best, that way Bridget wouldn't hear.
Fumbling around until he found the lamp by the bed, he turned up the wick and faced Caroline as light sprang up in the room. “What’d you hear?”
"Nothin' good. But I came here for answers not to repeat rumors. So....it seems you were there when it happened? When Lorenzo died...." her tone was trying to be calm but there was a certain sharpness to the words.
"And tell me the truth. You owe me that much, hon," she waited arms on hips.
"The gentleman is dead," Jonah confirmed, "on the ground floor of his residence. I'd suggest collecting his remains before his young ward comes down and sees him." The poor girl might raise a fuss, and at any rate, she didn't need to see her benefactor dead in the parlor. "There is a bit of blood, but not much, considering."
He glanced at Speed, then back to Jolly. "I'm not certain about other arrangements, but I don't think you should need anything beyond a simple coffin."
The funeral business is dying, I tell ye, dying on its feet!
Guyer and Danforth fllled Jolly in on who had died.
"The gentleman is dead," Jonah confirmed, "on the ground floor of his residence. I'd suggest collecting his remains before his young ward comes down and sees him."
"Och Aye, the simple girl." Jolly nodded. The old Scot had known Crabbe well, as he had run a profitable sideline in taking memento mori photographs of some of the deceased in his care for their grieving families, so he knew Bridget by extension.
The old miser fair rubbed his hands together at the thought of perhaps adding that lucrative part of the business to his own operation. Another good reason to poach Crabbe's little assistant, Miss Mudd, from the saloon: she knew how to operate the new fangled camera machine, and also did a nifty job dressing up as a double exposure ghostly angel.
He glanced at Speed, then back to Jolly. "I'm not certain about other arrangements, but I don't think you should need anything beyond a simple coffin."
"You'll no be telling me how to do my job, I hope, Doctor Danforth." frowned the undertaker. Jolly had a love hate relationship with Jonah: he hated the way the medical man presumed to lecture him, but he loved the large amount of ex-patients he sent his way.
"It so happens that Mister Crabbe has wisely invested in our two-for-one luxury funeral plan. He'll be laid to rest in our finest model 'Excelsior' model coffin, with silk inlays and brass handles. And so will that poor wee simple girl, when her time comes."
Jolly fetched the boy Raymond, who left his ailing Mother's side only with reluctance, but who was strapping enough to carry a sort of stretcher affair with which to transport the corpse back from the defunct Old Funeral Parlour, to Mr Jolly's live and kicking variety, where it would be carefully washed, redressed, embalmed and made to look as lifelike as possible for visitors at the viewings (all included in the price of the two-for-one luxury funeral plan, you may wish to note).
As they were conducting that operation, Jolly nodded to Deputy Charlie and asked Danforth and Speed: "You say the girl Bridget's nae seen the body?"
Brendan worked his jaw back and forth, trying to decide where to begin. Everything before Crabbe’s death seemed like it had happened months ago.
“I wanted to talk to Bridget,” he began. “I found her, and we ended up here. We…” he paused. How had it happened?
“We slept together,” he finally blurted, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I didn’t think it was possible, you know?” He looked at Caroline pleadingly. She’d been there when they discussed Bridget’s past with Crabbe. She would understand. “Because of…Bridget…but we did. We did, and Crabbe found me up there afterwards.”
Recounting the story brought the helplessness flooding back again, and he scowled at the wall as if facing Crabbe again.
“We went downstairs and he offered me a drink, then asked if this meant I was goin’ to marry Bridget.” He took a deep breath. This was where things had got rocky. “I told him I couldn’t marry her, but I’d take care of her.”
He stopped and looked back up at Caroline. She’d been patient so far, but he hadn’t even come to Crabbe’s actual death yet. How would she react to that?
I wanted to talk to Bridget,” he began. “I found her, and we ended up here. We…” he paused.
"Alright...yeah?" Caroline was not the most patient person and she didn't want him beating around the bush.
“We slept together,” he finally blurted, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I didn’t think it was possible, you know?”
"You what? I didn't think it was either but ..." Caroline was taken aback by the news.
“Because of…Bridget…but we did. We did, and Crabbe found me up there afterwards.”
Sonofabitch! Lorenzo must have been furious and rightly so, to Caroline's thinking. So did Brendan end up kil..............but he continued.
“We went downstairs and he offered me a drink, then asked if this meant I was goin’ to marry Bridget.” He took a deep breath. “I told him I couldn’t marry her, but I’d take care of her.”
She had urged Brendan not to make that mistake - marrying poor addled Bridget and at least he knew that much it seemed. But the rest? He still went and fucked her? That bastard!
"I cannot believe you'd take advantage of a girl like that? I knew yer a bull moose who'd was always lookin' to rut with any woman who'd have ya. It was one thing for us to have a tumble in bed but............Bridget? I thought you were a better person than that!" Caroline was angry now and she stepped right up to get into his face, granted she had to look up to do it. But size did not frighten the veteran saloon girl.
"And you'll take care of her? Oh, that's rich. You who doesn't even have a job right now or a place...hell, you're sleepin' on my bedroom floor. "
The only reason she didn't take a swing at him at that instant was he still hadn't told her how Lorenzo died. She just had to know.
"You say the girl Bridget's nae seen the body?"
Jonah shook his head. "As far as I know, she's been shielded from that horror." He glanced at Speed, wondering if the marshal would question the plans that Mr. Jolly has laid out. Certainly, they might actually be the wishes that Mr. Crabbe had expressed, but they just as easily could be Jolly's own ideas to extort money from the grieving ward who had no advocate to protect her welfare.
"I would be remiss to tell you how to do your job," he continued, "although I would emphasize the urgency to remove the deceased and make him presentable before Miss Brigid sees him."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"I don't believe she had seen him, though I do believe she saw him as he suffered heart failure and the pistol went off. So she did see him expire." Speed said. "That's according to testimony." He did not say from whom.
"May I ask, Mister Jolly, do you have a signed agreement for this 'two for one' you offer?" He asked as pleasantly as possible. "Miss Monahan now has no one to advocate for her, so the county will step into that role." Speed just was not convinced any such offer had been accepted by Crabbe, and should there be a cost involved, Bridget was as good as penniless.
There may be a will, or not, but as his ward she stood to inherit Lorenzo Crabbe's estate, especially any bank accounts he may have. "That being said, for the time being, she is a ward of Flathead County, in and for the township of Kalispell, Montana." He looked to Jonah and nodded.
Brendan stepped back against the wall as Caroline stepped forward and began an angry tirade. "I cannot believe you'd take advantage of a girl like that? I knew yer a bull moose who was always lookin' to rut with any woman who'd have ya. It was one thing for us to have a tumble in bed but............Bridget? I thought you were a better person than that!"
Shock and hurt washed over his face in the lamplight. He hadn't taken advantage of Bridget. They'd both known what they were getting into. Well, maybe she hadn't really known, but he had been gentle with her, and she had seemed to like it. And he wouldn't even have thought of going upstairs with her if she hadn't been looking at him like that. It wasn't fair.
Even Caroline thought he was a scoundrel for not marrying Bridget. It wasn't as if there was the possibility of Bridget ever being with child by him, and Caroline knew it. So why was she berating him like this? It just wasn't fair.
"You don't understand, Caroline!" He held up his hands placatingly. "I didn't...it wasn't like that! We.."
"And you'll take care of her? Oh, that's rich. You who doesn't even have a job right now or a place...hell, you're sleepin' on my bedroom floor."
"I'll get a job," Brendan snapped, stung by her scorn. There was no call for her to be so downright mean. He'd just avoided death, after all. "I'll get a place! Just...shut up an' listen!"
His anger faded suddenly. He had to tell her how Crabbe had died. He rubbed the back of his neck, wanting to look anywhere but at Caroline. But she needed to believe he was telling the truth, so he held her gaze. "Lorenzo...he wasn't happy with my answer...he pulled out his derringer. He was gonna shoot me, but all of a sudden he just...grabbed at his heart and fell. He hit the table on the way down and...the gun went off. Marshal Guyer thinks it was a heart attack...whatever that is."
The funeral business is dying, I tell ye, dying on its feet!
"May I ask, Mister Jolly, do you have a signed agreement for this 'two for one' you offer?" He asked as pleasantly as possible. "Miss Monahan now has no one to advocate for her, so the county will step into that role." Speed just was not convinced any such offer had been accepted by Crabbe, and should there be a cost involved, Bridget was as good as penniless.
"Och, I ken you're a quare suspicious man, Marshall Guyer!" said Jolly, not necessarily reprovingly. "It so happens that poor Mister Crabbe there came to see me last week and paid up in full, in gold coin, y'ken, gold coin! And not just for himself, but for the poor wee brainless bairn, too!"
"That being said, for the time being, she is a ward of Flathead County, in and for the township of Kalispell, Montana." He looked to Jonah and nodded.
"Och, the poor wee addled ninny." the Scotsman nodded, but then added "Ye might well want to check with Crabbe's lawyer first, o' course. Y'ken he was thick with Mister Orr before that man's horrible, horrible death. Och, what a way to go! That was a closed casket affair, and no mistake. Well, y'ken Orr's legal work's all been taken over by a young fellow called Reeve, he's made himself mighty cosy at Mrs Orr's house the noo, if you ken m'drift Marshall. You might want to blather a wee while with him afore you start proceedings to make her a ward of court." he opined.
Jolly had a good deal of experience of the legal status of the surviving relatives of the dead, as well as the deceased: he often had to pursue them for funeral expenses! It seemed it was always up to 'someone else' to pay for the interment of loved ones.
"You don't understand, Caroline!" He held up his hands placatingly. "I didn't...it wasn't like that! We.."
"Oh I don't huh? I've been taken advantage of in my life enough to know - what it was you did to Bridget," she snapped right back then pointed out the hollowness of his claim that he would take good care of her. Hell, he didn't even have a job and the only money he did still MAYBE have left was what he got from selling his dead friend's belongings.
"I'll get a job," Brendan snapped, "I'll get a place! Just...shut up an' listen!"
"Oh really? Places ain't free and my bedroom ain't a fuckin' hotel either," she countered but then listened.
"Lorenzo...he wasn't happy with my answer"
"Well..no shit!" Caroline growled, stunning surprise that.
"...he pulled out his derringer. He was gonna shoot me, but all of a sudden he just...grabbed at his heart and fell. He hit the table on the way down and...the gun went off. Marshal Guyer thinks it was a heart attack...whatever that is."
"You idiot! Don't you even know what that is? It's when your heart stops or explodes..or something," alright so Caroline wasn't a medical expert either.
At least he didn't kill the man...well assuming he wasn't lying to save himself from a hanging. The marshal hadn't arrested him so he must have been satisfied. That was a good thing...for Brendan anyhow. Didn't improve Bridget's situation any though.
"So...did Bridget see...I mean was she in the room when this happened?" Caroline now demanded to know.
Seeing something like that happen to someone you lived with like family, took care of you, and yeah Bridget no doubt loved like a father figure......that would be a shock to even the most normal of persons. Caroline remembered the horror of losing her father, even after all these years.