"I can't leave her," Brendan protested Caroline's order to find somewhere else to bed down for the night. "I told her I'd be there when she woke up." As he said the words, he knew Caroline wouldn't let him get away with it. She had her dander up, that was for sure.
Sure, he'd slept outside before, but sleeping outside when there were at least three perfectly good beds in the funeral parlor seemed like a waste of a good bed. However, he knew that Caroline was going to win this conversation, and had been winning since she stepped into the funeral parlor. He began to mentally prepare himself to collect his things from her room and find a haystack somewhere to sleep in.
"I asked at the livery stable a while back," he said, mustering a smirk. He'd proved her wrong. He had asked one place. He'd been perfectly qualified for the work, but there were already plenty of boys working there and they didn't need him. He matched her glare.
"I can't leave her," Brendan protested Caroline's order, "I told her I'd be there when she woke up."
"Oh hon, you can and you will. I'm not debatin' this with you," snapped Caroline, in no mood to repeat her arguments of just a moment earlier.
"I asked at the livery stable a while back," he suddenly said, mustering a smirk.
Seriously? Caroline frowned.
"Really? How old are you? That's a job for fourteen, fifteen year olds. Part time work too. Yer gonna support Bridget as a stable boy?" Caroline was obviously unimpressed with his career attempt there.
"Now....git......leave. Or am I gonna have to make ya?" she put her hands on hips.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the undertaker and his assistant had finished strapping Crabbe's lifeless corpse to the stretcher. The old Scotsman said something to the boy Raymond and the latter approached Charlie Wentworth, still standing somewhat pointlessly at the bottom of the stairs, up which, it seemed, half the town had ascended.
Raymond Matthews worked a couple of jobs around town, so knew Deputy Charlie by sight. He'd also snuck into the barn and witnessed the young lawman's defeat in his boxing match with that Irish miner from out of town, Battling Bob Cullen.
"Say Deputy, Mr Jolly says I need to inform the Next of Kin that we're moving the deceased. D'you think you'd better come up with me, seeing as it's a young lady? She might not be altogether, well, decent, and I don't want to be associated with any scandalous goings on!" he asked. Raymond was a bit of a prude about such things.
"Then afterwards could you see your way clear to helping me with carrying the stretcher? Old Mr. Jolly, he's all right with children and females, but I think Mr Crabbe might be a bit heavy for him, I just strapped him up and he's carrying more timber than you'd think." he asked. Well, it was worth a try, rather than having to stop every few yards while his boss caught his breath.
“All right, all right.” Brendan held his hands up in surrender. He’d been fighting a losing battle this whole time and was finally giving in, and giving in completely. He didn’t even have the energy to respond to Caroline’s scornful remark.
He moved to turn down the lamp, then stopped. “Guess I’ll leave this on.” He couldn’t imagine Caroline sleeping in Bridget’s bed and assumed she would take this room since it was next to Bridget’s.
He trudged past Caroline, his footfalls heavy and tired. “I’m gonna get my things from your room. I’ll come around here after sun-up sometime and…figure out somethin’.”
What he would figure out, he wasn’t sure, but a good place to start would be finding out about Crabbe’s will.
As he went out onto the landing, he looked back at her. “I’m…glad you’re here with her,” he said gruffly, clearing his throat to disguise how much it was tearing him up to leave.
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
"Say Deputy, Mr Jolly says I need to inform the Next of Kin that we're moving the deceased. D'you think you'd better come up with me, seeing as it's a young lady? She might not be altogether, well, decent, and I don't want to be associated with any scandalous goings on!" he asked. Raymond was a bit of a prude about such things.
Charlie had been watching the situation unfold from the bottom of the stairs. Although he hadn't done much, he did learn a lot. Whatever he saw and did in this job, he made sure to remember as one day he might be in a similar position. Marshal Guyer was a good teacher, and Charlie was making sure that he missed nothing. Besides, if the Marshal had wanted him to leave, he would have said so.
After looking briefly up the stairs, he turned to Raymond, "I don't think Miss Monahan would be capable of understanding what's going on. Besides, Miss Mundee is still up there talking with Mr. Connelly and I'm sure that they both understand that the body will be taken to the funeral parlour. I'll help you carry him over there. I can come back if need be."
He was sure that when Bridget was ready, Caroline Mundee would explain things to her and that may not be until morning, so there was no use waiting around here. There were a few official things that needed to be done at the funeral parlour, anyway.
Brendan least wasn't fool enough to defy the fiesty saloon gal in the mood she was in so he gave up his arguing. He moved to turn down the lamp, then stopped. “Guess I’ll leave this on.”
"Yeah, you can for now," Caroline sounded calmer now too.
He trudged past Caroline, his footfalls heavy and tired. “I’m gonna get my things from your room. I’ll come around here after sun-up sometime and…figure out somethin’.”
"Yeah, wait....here's the key. When yer done lock it up again and then give it ta Ralph. Not my new boss.........Ralph," she handed over her key with specific instructions. She trusted he wouldn't steal anything of hers.
As he went out onto the landing, he looked back at her. “I’m…glad you’re here with her,” he said gruffly.
"You know I'm real fond of the girl, she'll be safe with me. You'll see her soon enough, hon," Caroline nodded.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
After looking briefly up the stairs, he turned to Raymond, "I don't think Miss Monahan would be capable of understanding what's going on. Besides, Miss Mundee is still up there talking with Mr. Connelly and I'm sure that they both understand that the body will be taken to the funeral parlour. I'll help you carry him over there. I can come back if need be."
Raymond listened to Charlie carefully and saw him in a totally new light: until now he, like most of the town, had considered the youngest of the Wentworth clan something of an irresponsible scamp, but his words were wise and spoken with authority: maybe it was the magical tin badge that had wrought this miraculous change, either in Charlie's manner or the way he was perceived.
Either way, they were soon off along the short walk from the defunct old funeral parlour to the newer alive and kicking business, Jolly leading the way, like Phlegyas leading the dead across the River Styx, then Charlie at the head of the mobile bier, and, finally, Raymond following behind.
Halfway down the street, a scream pierced the dark and what looked, in the gloaming, like a little old widow lady dressed in black with bonnet and shawl came running over. It was Lorenzo's sometime 'business associate' in his photography business, Arabella Mudd. After a sad sigh of "Oh, Lorenzo!" and a kiss to his cold forehead as he lay on the stretcher, for once she stowed the histrionics and instead asked a number of reasonably sensible questions. "Was he shot?" "Who did it?" "What happened?" "Is Bridget all right?" "Do you want a hand?"
Jolly answered the final one: "Aye Lass, come along, the poor man'll need washing before we put him in his shroud." The old Scot left the rest of the questions for John Law, in the form of Deputy Wentworth to answer as they trooped along, now a throng of five, including the corpse.
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
"Was he shot?" "Who did it?" "What happened?" "Is Bridget all right?" "Do you want a hand?"
Charlie sighed. The last thing wanted to do was answer Arabella's questions. Knowing that Crabbe was dead, she probably already knew something about what had happen. Besides, it wouldn't be right to talk about it until the investigation was over.
"I'm sorry, but I can't say much as there will probably be a Coroner's Inquest." He paused as he readjusted his grip on the stretcher. Since he was carrying the end where the top half of the body and most of the weight was, it was heavier than it looked. Maybe ol' Lorenzo was carrying a few more pounds than what could be seen.
"However, if you find out anything from Bridget about the incident, it would be wise to go the Marshall and let him know."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Charlie sighed.
"Well what you sighin' like that for?!!" Arabella queried a little crossly. "My friend's been shot dead or stabbed or something, least you can do is tell me what happened!" she nagged "You ain't tellin' me all that there blood came off of a shavin' cut?!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't say much as there will probably be a Coroner's Inquest." He paused as he readjusted his grip on the stretcher. Since he was carrying the end where the top half of the body and most of the weight was, it was heavier than it looked. Maybe ol' Lorenzo was carrying a few more pounds than what could be seen.
Arabella frowned at the lack of information; she supposed it didn't matter too much in the long run. Lorenzo was dead, no coming back from that. And she had to admit one thing, the responsibility of being a Marshall's Deputy had certainly wrought a change in Charlie's disposition for the better: he was more decisive and commanding now than he had been wont to be, certainly enough so that she did not press him any further for details of the tragedy.
"However, if you find out anything from Bridget about the incident, it would be wise to go the Marshall and let him know."
"Well, it's nice to know that she's still alive!" Arabella grumped. Then, to herself as much to Charlie, she hummed "I'd better tell Brendan about this, and Caroline..."
I took an oath for this job. The oath says bring him in. That's what I'll do.
Since Arabella had mentioned that she was off to tell Brendan and Caroline loud enough, he had no choice but to answer, "They already know. In fact, they're over at the parlour right now."
He took a depth breath, "Arabella you should wait until morning to go over there. Caroline will take of Bridget tonight, so you don't have worry on that part. However, for once, it's best that you stay away or you'll be making a bad situation even worse."