"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"I'm Ray and Zenobia's older brother, Jessie." He tried to step around her.
"Oh. That explains it." replied Arabella, moving into his way again.
"Now I really need to catch up to Ray, if you would kindly step aside?" He could easily force himself around her, but he really didn't want to make a bigger scene than was already being played out.
"No you don't"
Well, that was blunt.
"He'll come back to you... sit down on that coffin and I'll make you a coffee, you reek of whiskey." the girl said curtly her cold blue eyes looking up to his. Was this town populated by nothing but pale skinned, black-haired, black clad, blue eyed, grim young women?
"He'll come back to you... sit down on that coffin and I'll make you a coffee, you reek of whiskey." the girl said curtly her cold blue eyes looking up to his.
Jess had no interest in staying around and drinking coffee. Besides this matter seemed urgent to him. At her comment to him smelling like whiskey his brow pulled together. He did? He looked down at himself checking to see if something had spilled on him, because he'd barely even had but one drink with Scrappy earlier. He looked back down at her, shaking his head.
"With all due respect, ma'm, I don't have time for coffee." He had to get to Ray and he had to then get to Zenobia. "I don't have much time to waste if I'm going to try to save my sister from that noose." He commented as he now brushed past her and started to walk after his brother. "Ray!" He yelled, hoping his brother hadn't gotten too far ahead of him.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"With all due respect, ma'm, I don't have time for coffee." He had to get to Ray and he had to then get to Zenobia.
"No?" asked Arabella, still managing to block his way despite the slightness of her figure.
"I don't have much time to waste if I'm going to try to save my sister from that noose" he commented as he now brushed past her and started to walk after his brother.
"Ray!" He yelled, hoping his brother hadn't gotten too far ahead of him.
"Ray's no good to you - he's a broken reed, but I know how to save your sister." said Arabella calmly as Jessie reached the door out to the street.
Jessie got to the door and just as he opened it her words stopped him in his tracks.
"Ray's no good to you - he's a broken reed, but I know how to save your sister." said Arabella calmly as Jessie reached the door out to the street.
He look at her from over his shoulder. She wasn't wrong about Ray and now he was out of sight and he had no idea where the boy would have gone.
"You know how to save her?" his tone questioning. He couldn't imagine how a young girl, who seemingly worked at a funeral parlor, could help him save his sister. He turned towards her and closed to door back. I guess you never know the connections someone might have. "I'm listening." He walked back towards her licking his dry chapped lips.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"You know how to save her?" his tone questioning.
"I got an idea... and I can get near your sister to talk to her, not many other people can." Arabella said, fixing some coffee.
He couldn't imagine how a young girl, who seemingly worked at a funeral parlor, could help him save his sister. He turned towards her and closed to door back. I guess you never know the connections someone might have. "I'm listening." He walked back towards her licking his dry chapped lips.
She motioned to a coffin (empty, it should be said) for him to sit on.
"Well, first things first, aren't you curious to know why I'm willing to help?" she asked. Whereas Jessie was in a hurry to get things resolved as soon a s humanly possible, this girl seemed t act like they had all the time in the world.
Jessie looked cautiously at the empty coffin, not sure that he wanted it to be his seat, but seeing as there weren't any other choices he settled in.
"Well, first things first, aren't you curious to know why I'm willing to help?" she asked. Whereas Jessie was in a hurry to get things resolved as soon a s humanly possible, this girl seemed to act like they had all the time in the world.
He shrugged and shook his head some "Well it seems it doesn't matter if I do or I don't, I believe you're going to tell me." He raised a questioning brow, taking off his hat and sitting it beside him. "I don't believe we have much time to waste, so please, indulge my curiosity." Her words not his, but he did think it important to know why this young lady would want to help him, a stranger and what her connection was to his sister and brother.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
He shrugged and shook his head some "Well it seems it doesn't matter if I do or I don't, I believe you're going to tell me." He raised a questioning brow, taking off his hat and sitting it beside him.
"Oh no, I was just going to tell you to mind your own beeswax. I'm going to rescue your sister for my own personal reasons." she announced pertly. "And I've got it all worked out. Me and my Confederate."
The Virginian girl liked that word, for obvious reasons.
"I don't believe we have much time to waste, so please, indulge my curiosity."
"That's where you're wrong, Mr Matthews. It's actually extremely important that we don't act too quickly. In fact..." She stopped herself. She poured him a strong coffee from a pot on the stove.
"I need to start at the beginning." the odd dark haired girl stated "Listen, from what Ray told me, you grew up here, right? You know what the town jail is like: a subterranean dungeon like something from Medieval times, that's what it is. Hope of escape or rescue... zero! And the law are vigilant, oh they are so vigilant: and now you've turned up like the proverbial bad penny! they're going to be even more on their guard. You, Ray, Jacob or Leonora Lutz..." she mentioned Jessie and Ray and Zenoba's cousins "... they're not going to let any of you anywhere near that cell."
She sat next to the cowboy on the coffin.
"They won't suspect me of wanting to help your sister, and they will never know I did. Are we straight on that... is that a deal?" she asked.
"Oh no, I was just going to tell you to mind your own beeswax. I'm going to rescue your sister for my own personal reasons." she announced pertly. "And I've got it all worked out. Me and my Confederate."
Jessie squinted his blue eyes in confusion. "What personal reasons do you have to want to save my sister and put yourself at such risk?" He couldn't imagine who would be so devoted to his family that they'd risk their own jail time and possible hanging just to free his sister. Of course he would, they were blood and that's what family does. But he had obviously been gone from Kalispell too long to understand the connections that his family had made while he was away.
"That's where you're wrong, Mr. Matthews. It's actually extremely important that we don't act too quickly. In fact..." She stopped herself. She poured him a strong coffee from a pot on the stove.
He took the coffee from her with a nod of thanks, but he couldn't help but disagree that they needed to not act quickly. He felt there was no time to waste. "But what if we wait too long? Why the need to delay? I can see your point on her family not trying to get to her and perhaps yourself trying to help but I don't want to sit on this too long." He gave her his opinion. In the back of his mind, he really wanted to talk to Ray, find out what his thoughts would be on this young lady helping them. Jessie would continue to hear her out though, as she seemed genuine, but there was no way he could just out right trust her since he didn't know her.
"They won't suspect me of wanting to help your sister, and they will never know I did. Are we straight on that... is that a deal?" she asked.
He dropped his head some staring at the floor, holding the coffee as he shook his head and look at her. "With all due respect ma'm, it isn't a deal just yet. I just need to understand more, to know why you want to do this. Please don't take me wrong. I appreciate all your offerin', just help me understand why."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Jessie squinted his blue eyes in confusion. "What personal reasons do you have to want to save my sister and put yourself at such risk?"
"I like her. She's a nice person." shrugged Arabella, disingenuously. It sounded pretty far fetched. Nobody liked Zenobia. She was eminently dislikable. She was not 'nice' by any stretch of the imagination.
It was hardly surprising that Jessie was not convinced.
"They won't suspect me of wanting to help your sister, and they will never know I did. Are we straight on that... is that a deal?" she asked.
He dropped his head some staring at the floor, holding the coffee as he shook his head and look at her. "With all due respect ma'm, it isn't a deal just yet. I just need to understand more, to know why you want to do this. Please don't take me wrong. I appreciate all your offerin', just help me understand why."
She screwed her hands together, as if battling internally with herself.
"Listen..." she started, but faltered. This could go wrong on so many levels. No, she owed it to Zenobia to try.
"Has anybody told you about what... what made your sister shoot..." she didn't want to say her father, or especially your father, she settled for "... Mr Matthews"
And in the blink of an eye the tone of their conversation changed.....
"Listen..." she started, but faltered. This could go wrong on so many levels. No, she owed it to Zenobia to try.
"Has anybody told you about what... what made your sister shoot..." she didn't want to say her father, or especially your father, she settled for "... Mr Matthews"
Jess nodded his head but shrugged. "I've had a couple of people try to tell me. But I don't think nobody has told me the real truth yet. You think you know, or did you see it?" He asked, knowing full well that both Scrappy and his brother hadn't told him everything. It seemed the truth about it was just too hard to say out loud. That made Jessie almost shiver to think what must have happened to his sister. He still wasn't sure why this girl would want to help Zenobia, but he would hear her out.