"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Reeve is it? Don't believe I know of him, but that wouldn't be uncommon with transient folks or visitors for one reason or another." Speed began, "So yes, I'll need to speak with him, but he is not blood related, legal insofar as this Reeve is concerned. Not sure Richard Orr had anything binding with Crabbe, not that it matter, but say over Miss Monahan, highly doubt that would hold water."
So this Reeve fellow was now at the Orr residence, or so it seemed that that was what Jolly meant, besides the insinuations which seemed to include the widow Orr, which, of course, was none of his business it until it was. he had a particular distaste for men that would take advantage of women.
"So then, for the time being, Miss Monahan will in fact be a ward of the county, and Mister Jolly, I would be interested in in who comes forward to handle Crabbe's estate. Oh, and you're saying this Reeve fellow would be Crabbe's attorney as well? Correct?"
Brendan was going to keep pressing his point that he hadn't taken advantage of Bridget, but Caroline's next words stopped him in his tracks.
"Oh I don't huh? I've been taken advantage of in my life enough to know - what it was you did to Bridget."
He scowled at the floor, his brain trying to process the fact that he might...might be in the wrong. This wasn't just about his marrying Bridget or not. It was about something more.
But Caroline would not let up. Finally Brendan's head jerked up at her hotel comment. "Well, maybe I don't need your bedroom anymore! Maybe I don't need you anymore!" he snapped, putting his hands on his hips. "You ever think about that? Bridget needs me. She needs me here with her until I find us something better."
If he'd been thinking more clearly, he would never have said such hurtful words to Caroline. She had proven herself a true friend to him. But the fact that even she believed he'd taken advantage of Bridget stung, and so did Caroline's sarcasm, which was at its finest and most scathing as he recounted Crabbe's death. She did genuinely care about Bridget's welfare, as was evidenced by her questioning if Bridget had been present at the time of the death.
The fight went out of Brendan at the reminder of Bridget's distress. "She saw it all," he said miserably, sliding down the wall into a sitting position. He was so tired. Tired of the misunderstandings, tired of people thinking he'd done something wrong when he necessarily hadn't.
"She saw it all, Caroline. And the look in her eyes..." He shut his own eyes tight as if that would block out the sight of Bridget holding the gun, her dressing gown smeared with blood.
The funeral business is dying, I tell ye, dying on its feet!
"Reeve is it? Don't believe I know of him, but that wouldn't be uncommon with transient folks or visitors for one reason or another." Speed began, "So yes, I'll need to speak with him, but he is not blood related, legal insofar as this Reeve is concerned. Not sure Richard Orr had anything binding with Crabbe, not that it matter, but say over Miss Monahan, highly doubt that would hold water.
"I'm sure ye know best, Marshall." nodded Jolly as he and the boy Raymond prepared to move Crabbe's body carefully onto the stretcher.
"So then, for the time being, Miss Monahan will in fact be a ward of the county, and Mister Jolly, I would be interested in in who comes forward to handle Crabbe's estate. Oh, and you're saying this Reeve fellow would be Crabbe's attorney as well? Correct?"
"Well, Mr Guyer, y'ken I used Orr m'self from time to time. Your man Reeve came to see me, said he'd be pleased to 'continue the good work' I wouldnee be surprised if the deceased's will was in his hands the noo. Well, I'll give him a chance, I dare say. Mrs Orr seems to place complete trust in the fellow, mind ya - ye ken she's been a wee bit leerie-loonie ever since her husband's horrible, horrible death." he told the lawman.
"The poor woman's been delving into the spirit world, ye ken! Delving into that which ought to be left well alone in my experience, Marshall!!"
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"The spirit world is it? Ran into that sort of thing when I was in New York, before moving out here. But I'd supposed that that sort of thing goes on anywhere those who practice that sort of thing might settle out here."
For some time it had been quite the rage in the city, seances were being held all over the city and throughout the boroughs. Not only the well to do, but people all over were participating in such things in spite of condemnation by all of the known religions.
How people become involved in that sort of thing always amazed Speed, because it spread like wild fire, offered nothing positive, unless one considered talking with the dead something positive, But it was not for him to judge, and he was glad to leave it and the city far behind.
"So Mister Jolly, do you know of others practicing the 'dark arts' here in town?" He asked.
The funeral business is dying, I tell ye, dying on its feet!
"The spirit world is it? Ran into that sort of thing when I was in New York, before moving out here. But I'd supposed that that sort of thing goes on anywhere those who practice that sort of thing might settle out here."
"Aye, well, the Spiritualist Kirk, y'ken, is a Christian one like any other and I'd nay say anything agin it, though I'm a Presbyterian m'self, y'ken?" he quickly covered himself. "But the poor wee woman spends a good wee part of her time dabbling with Ouija boards an Planchettes and the like. It doesn'ee do well to invite the departed spirits o' the dead into your own home if you ken my drift!"
In fact, young Raymond could be observed quite deliberately opening one of the windows in the room wide open - traditionally to 'let the departed soul escape' and not have it hanging around to haunt the place.
"So Mister Jolly, do you know of others practicing the 'dark arts' here in town?" He asked.
"Och no, Marshall. Ye dinnie need worry about 'Covens' and 'Sabbats' around these parts, I believe, the nearest thing I've seen to the occult in Kalispell with my own eyes would be the odd girl or two who possesses 'The Sight' -you ken what I'll be meaning by 'The Sight' Marshall?"
The conversation had definitely taken an interesting turn, but Jonah didn't mind, he didn't have an opinion on such things as the supernatural, and even if he did, he wasn't likely to voice it. People could put stock in whatever helped them muddle through life, even if it was some sort of fantasy.
Heck, while he didn't attend church regularly, he did go now and again, and held to a belief in God, just in case. Even so, he figured the only way you found out which religion -- or none at all -- was the right choice was after you died, and then it was too late!
At least Miss Bridget was taken care of, for now, and would not be taken advantage of, although why he should even care was beyond him!
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"The Sight, can't say as I have, but no covens or sabbats, that's something of a relief. The craft, as I've heard it called, could turn a small community like this on it's ear, and I do believe we've had more than enough problems, some still active. Speed said, actually a bit relieved. Something like the superstitions and belief in witchcraft could cause a great deal of trouble for a town that size. Of course he had no idea about covens or sabbats.
Witchcraft as it was known had actually been nothing more than a from of nursing, or so it had once been explained to Speed. Was it magic? Were there spells? That he did not know, but not wanting it in his town he was sure of.
"Well thank you Mister Jolly, it's been most informative." Speed said, then looking at the doctor he continued, "I suppose I should make a call on this Reeve fellow. Seems the man is becoming quite ingrained in our town. And whether or not his involved with either Misses Orr, or the daughter, Anaesthesia, or both is no concern of mine until it is." He looked to Jolly, "Good day to you sir."
"Well, maybe I don't need your bedroom anymore! Maybe I don't need you anymore!" he snapped, putting his hands on his hips. "You ever think about that? Bridget needs me. She needs me here with her until I find us something better."
"And that is supposed to hurt my feelin's?" Caroline laughed but not a happy one. She had been more than a good friend to him. She had even shared an intimate night with him, and he was the only man who could say that since the night she had lost her virginity when she was brutally raped back in Chicago. Apparently none of that counted for anything with him.
"Ahha! So now yer gonna move in here with her so you don't have to pay anythin' for a roof over yer head...figures!" Caroline smirked. What was somebody like him called? Oh yeah, freeloader.
But he wasn't so argumentative when he got to answering her question about whether Bridget had been there at the death.
"She saw it all," he said miserably, sliding down the wall into a sitting position.
"Goddammit," Caroline muttered. She had been dreading that answer.
"She saw it all, Caroline. And the look in her eyes..." He shut his own eyes tight.
This time her voice was not angry, accusatory but more reflective, sad even.
"My father was killed right in front of my eyes. I can well imagine the look in her eyes. It - that moment - is still with me. I will never get it out of my mind. "
At least by now Caroline was quite convinced that Brendan had not in fact killed Lorenzo, thank god for that. But there still was the raging issue of Bridget and her future. She didn't doubt - for all her anger - that he was fond of the girl, despite her damage and her addled brain. But fondness was not going to support the young woman.
"Will you please stand up like a man?" she started for she had suddenly made up her mind what to do here.
"Alright, nothin' can change the past. All of us gotta just live in the here and now. So here's how I see it. Lorenzo knew he was dyin'. In fact he was talkin' suicide and I had hoped I had talked him outta that. And he wasn't broke...so we need to find out first of all if he made a will. Then how much money he's got in the bank...the deed to this place, and so forth."
"If he did make that will, I'm pretty damn sure he named Bridget to inherit it all. Other than that china man of his, he didn't have nobody else. So I'm bettin' her financial situation is not that bad, least for the short run."
"But here's how it's gonna work, yer not gonna just waltz on in here and take over her property, her money, and her care. Nope, not til you first learn to stand up on yer own two feet and get a goddamn job. Save up some money. Prove you can take care of yerself before anyone should trust you to take care of poor Bridget."
"And don't buck me on this, don't make me get nasty. Cuz, you've never really seen that side of me and - trust me - you don' wanna either. Clear?"
"Ahha! So now yer gonna move in here with her so you don't have to pay anythin' for a roof over yer head...figures!"
"I didn't say that!" Brendan pushed himself up from the floor, even though all he wanted to do was stay there and go to sleep. What he really wanted to do at this point was just crawl into a hole, but that wasn't going to happen as long as Caroline was around. He knew later he'd feel badly for what he'd said and would want to apologize, but right now he could care less.
Finding out about Crabbe's will and financial affairs seemed daunting for a cowhand who couldn't read, and especially for one who'd been through everything he had that day. "How are we gonna find out all that at this time a' night?" Was his first question. It was a sensible one, but he needn't have asked it. It was closer to morning by this time, anyway, and soon the bank other places of business would be opening up.
When Caroline speculated that Crabbe had probably named Bridget to inherit, he felt a surge of elation. That solved part of the problem, then. He could dip into Bridget's savings if he needed to while he looked for a better situation for them.
But apparently that wasn't an option. He scowled at Caroline. "I don't care about the property or money! We just need somewhere to stay." That might be a lie at any other time, but right now it wasn't. He didn't care.
As the reality that his whole mostly care-free life was about to change sunk in, he crossed his arms. "Where do you expect me to get a job? Who'll hire me after this? Before it would've been hard enough with me bein' an Evergreen hand. But now..."
Now, Granny Miggins probably had everyone convinced that he'd broken into the funeral parlor, made Lorenzo watch while he violated Bridget, and then shot him. It would be a miracle if he wasn't lynched on sight the next time he showed his face.
"How are we gonna find out all that at this time a' night?" Brendan now asked, as if she knew all the damn answers, he really could be rather... immature in her jaded opinion.
"We aren't, ya idiot," Caroline sighed, "But we will find out soon as possible."
He went on, "I don't care about the property or money! We just need somewhere to stay."
"Bridget can stay right here, it's gonna be her place soon enough unless I'm wrong about Lorenzo's final decisions. He wouldn't let her be homeless. There are other women besides me who care about the girl, we will make sure she isn't alone," Caroline answered.
"As for you, find someplace, even if it's a barn for a few nights. It'll look really bad if you just move in whilst Lorenzo's body ain't even cold or buried. Your reputation ain't the best and that's puttin' it nicely," she added, "tonight, it's summer, yer a cowboy, you can sleep outside for once. You must have done it many times before."
He wasn't done whining yet either, "Where do you expect me to get a job? Who'll hire me after this? Before it would've been hard enough with me bein' an Evergreen hand. But now..."
"There are a few ranches out there besides Evergreen and Lost Lake. There's one run by a woman I think even. Can't recall the name, never met her. But I've heard about it. Go out there and at least fuckin' ASK. Tell me...right now....name me the places you've gone to and asked about a job since yer stayin' in my room? Go ahead.....bet you haven't done a damn thing."
"Well, if you really value Bridget and wanting to be responsible for her, it starts here and now," she glared him right in the eye, course she had to look up to do it.