"Every town needs a newspaper."
Phin suppressed a laugh, not at her, but at the idea that someone had 'heard' of a missing wallet. That would attract the local miscreants like flies to honey. "Well Miss Tully, advertising the missing wallet would likely not get it returned to the rightful owner, maybe in another time when the town is well, not as problematic as it seems to be." He explained without disparaging the local populace.
Of course, not all of Kaslipell was derelict, some, but not the many good folks that resided there. Some, however, seemed to be more than enough to create problems for the Marshal and his Deputies. And, Phin looked forward to the return of both Guyer and Pike to their office. It would certainly be to Charlie's benefit to have those two to learn from.
"So Miss Tully, it seems we have us a situation here. You did not take this to Charlie, our Deputy, so, you have entrusted this to me, which I might add, is quite an honor." He said honestly. "Now it just came to me that the location where you found the wallet, behind the Municipal Building, leaves very few people to assume may have dropped it." He paused, since the building has doors at either end, it is possible that a visitor to our fair town may have dropped it. What do you think of that?"
"Maybe." Tully shrugged. "Might could be why they ain't been askin' around if someone found it...don't know who ta ask?" Although the sheriff's office, city hall, even the newspaper office, were clearly marked, and she highly doubted that anyone carrying that amount of cash couldn't read.
"Maybe they come from someplace else?" she speculated, "like, some other country? There's ones that don't know English, right? Maybe they can't read th' writin', like them strange letters they use in Chinatown?"
While she barely could read much English, she knew that the squiggly lines on the buildings in Chinatown couldn't be read by most regular folks.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Point well made, Miss Tully. Indeed here we are and at a loss about this wallet." Phin replied, "And could be we have some foreigner who was, or still is in town, but can't read English. Highly possible, though I've seen no Chinamen in town." Still, it nagged at him that there was something to this wallet business.
The cash it contained, with no other papers or notes, led his thoughts to a variety of possibilities, yet so far no one had approached his office in search of the wallet. In fact there seemed to be no strangers that he had seen recently who looked as if they may hve been carrying that kind of money. Two hundred and forty-eight dollars. A sizable sum of money by any measure.
"Well then, we have choices here that we should discuss." He offered, "Take it to the Marshal's office, or, take it to the bank, or we can hold it here and then ask around. What do you think?
"Reckon it might be best ta let th' law handle it?" Tully suggested. Actually, she had thought about that, but she didn't trust 'the law' in whatever form it presented, which was why she'd come to Phineas. "They c'n keep it safe, an' it seems anyone lookin'd think ta go there?"
Maybe the bank, but she had no experience in this sort of thing. "Maybe put somethin' in yer paper." But on pondering that..."Well, might not wanna let someone know ya got it, less they come ta get it in th' night, when yer sleepin'!" Which was exactly why she didn't want it to be her problem!
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"It would seem that Deputy Wentworth would be the logical choice in this matter, so we'll get over there as soon as you are finished with your coffee. and hopefully, he is around." Phin said with a smile. It was the logical choice. The choice that took both of them out of the equation, whatever that might be. Charlie was a good man and would certainly handle the situation with professionalism. Plus, it would relieve Miss Tully of any accusations, and of any worry about this. Not to mention that he would be witness to her bringing the wallet to him for advice.
"A good choice my dear. A good choice indeed. Do you know Deputy Wentworth well? He asked, not that was really any of his business, but it made for light conversation he hoped. He did like talking with the girl.
At the mention of actually going to the law, Tully pushed back in her chair, sinking as much into it as she could without actually moving it. Her eyes widened and the color drained from her face as she shook her head adamantly.
Of course, she knew Charlie Wentworth, he'd been at poor, bedraggled Bridget's botched banquet, and he'd seemed nice enough, hadn't really seemed to notice her, but still, he was the law.
"Can't'cha take it without me?" she whispered, looking at Phineas desperately, "tell him ya found it?"
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Phin thought for a moment, he could almost smell the fear emanating from the young lady. Why she had such a reaction he had no idea, but it was evident that the mention of the Deputy all but paralyzed her.
"Yes, yes, I can certainly do that. It would almost be how it was." He agreed. "I'll see to it shortly. I can understand the fear a lot of folks have of the law, and most times for no real reason other than it is their job. But not to fear, we'll get this taken care of."
Tully nodded mutely, her eyes wide. At least he seemed to understand her aversion to the law, even if she didn't exactly understand it herself -- well, not counting that as a child the law had been used as a threat to keep her in line -- 'If you don't behave, the sheriff is going to put you in jail, and then you'll hang!'
It wasn't worth taking the chance.
But then she had a bout of conscience. "Ya don't gotta lie fer me," she whispered. Mr. Phineas had been kind to her, and she didn't want him to go to jail, and maybe hang, just to protect her. "I c'n stay here, sweep th' floor or somethin'?" She wanted to be helpful. "Do dishes?"
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Now I don't see it a a lie Miss Tully, You have dropped it off here with me, and I shall only tell the Deputy that 'it' was dropped off, so you see, it is not a lie at all, and even if it was and I was discovered all that would happen is the deputy would ask who dropped it off, and I would simply reply that I was not a liberty to say. That dear girl would be the end of it." He explained exactly what he would do and say, then the wallet and the cash would no longer be their problem.
"Oh you don't have to do that, I have a young man who does that for me as well as other chores and jobs. He's most helpful and the wage I pay him helps his mother with her expenses, food, lodging that sort of thing." It occured to him, perhaps he could afford another dollar or two a week to have her come in the morning and clean up.
Well, now, here was a surprise! Seemed that even a 'respectable' businessman like Phineas McVay knew how to manipulate the truth so that it wasn't quite a lie, and Tully respected him for that! And she appreciated that he was helping someone who needed the help...more than she did...and certainly wouldn't begrudge the kid. She'd been doing fine so far without any help, and there was no reason she couldn't continue, especially since there really was help to be had when her pride allowed it...or when it got too cold to be proud!
"Be careful that they don't go tryin' ta blame you fer nothin'," she cautioned, "just in case..." Even though McVay was respectable, that didn't make him immune to shenanigans!