For the last couple days Shintaro spent his time alone after setting up camp not too far from Kalispell. He picked a spot that was as private as he could find as he didn't want townsfolk or Indians to stumble upon him while he meditated. With his mind being completely focused on finding his wife's murderer he thought about little else. Now with her killer dead, he felt the pain of losing his wife and facing the future alone.
Learning from the strange maid his wife's spirit had been nearby was comforting. He liked to think she was still with him but he knew her spirit needed to be put to rest. He should return her to Japan to be interred with her family but he didn't have the money to pay for passage back home, nor did he know what sort of country he would find upon arrival. His talk with Kido Takayoshi on the journey to America years ago he learned some of the statesman's plans for Japan and it had been reassuring to know Japan wouldn't be torn apart by the formal rebels. But would it be a Japan he could return to?
Shintaro spent hours contemplating how to go forward and what to do with his wife's remains. In the end he decided to bury her ashes in the most beautiful spot he could find within a half day's ride from Kalispell. It was near a small rocky outcrop which sported a tiny waterfall, just the sort of natural beauty he knew his wife would appreciate. He added a few additional touches, mostly wild flowers he knew Okashi would like. He then prayed to her spirit and wished her to be at peace.
Returning to town he was once more at peace, a state he hadn't felt for quite some time. It cleared his head and allowed him to think of the future, even if just the short term. He knew he didn't want to return to San Francisco, it would be near impossible to find harmony there and he would have to start over regardless so he decided he might as well do that here. With that decided he knew exactly what he had to do next, find work and a place to stay. Camping outdoors as fine for the short term but it wasn't how he wanted to live.
He knew of one person looking to hire but he had no idea who Mr. Baur was though he could ask around. What he did know was the Marshal had asked he come talk to him if he planned to stick around. Shintaro wasn't sure what the Marshal wanted to talk to but he would be, at the very least, a useful source of information to find work and lodgings. Of course he could just ask at the saloon but he felt a bit uncomfortable being there. Though he didn't mind a beer or two he wasn't a heavy drinker and his first trip had three free drinks offered him and he truly didn't think he deserved any of them.
Tying his horse outside the Marshal's office building, Shintaro retraced his steps from the last time he was here to find the man's office. It didn't take long and after checking with the receptionist to make sure the Marshal was in, he proceeded to the man's office.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
They were eleven days into the month of May so his desk was split between the duties of the Town Marshal, a small spot for any County Sheriff's business, and a stack of correspondence related to the Founders Day Celebration which was what he was reading up when Shintaro walked in.
"Well, hello. Good to see you again."Speed greeted as he got to his feet. "Coffee's on if you want a cup. Those on the pegs are clean, just hep yourself. So, what brings you in today, or, how can I help?" He motioned to the chair next to the desk. "Hope you were able to get done whatever it was you needed to do about your wife."
That was none of his business, and as he liked to say, 'My Business ends at the end of my nose, unless it's Marshal's business.' Which was a good way to look at it. And the Founder's Day Celebration was taking up a good deal of time before, during, and after work as needed. Things were fast coming together on that front.
Despite the years he had been in America, Japanese culture was still deeply ingrained within him. To tell a guest to 'help themselves' was considered bad manners, one didn't pour their own drinks unless one was alone. To tell a guest to help themselves just wasn't done in Japan. Shintaro knew it wasn't considered rude in America to ask a guest to help themselves but it still rankled him.
"Thank you for your kind offer," he responded instead, seeing no reason to be rude just because many customers were different between their two countries. Shintaro understood the Marshal wasn't intending to be rude but just the opposite. He did take the indicated seat however.
"I was," Shintaro said once he sat. "With her spirit at rest it is time for me to look to the future."
"Before we parted last you mentioned you wanted to talk to me about something, this is the main reason I have come to see you now." He didn't know what the Marshal wanted to talk to him about so didn't want to assume anything.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Well, to the point, I was wondering if you were planning on staying in Kalispell, and if you were, if you were interested in a job here in the Marshal's office." Speed said, "I am looking to hire on at least another deputy. Of course there is the County Sheriff's job available as well. Pay's good, taxes are fair at the moment, and we collect those for the Mayor's office which helps pay salaries, plus we keep all of the fines." He explained.
"Now it's just an offer, something for you to consider. Mostly, town is quiet. The saloon can get rowdy on Saturday nights, but mostly its just making the rounds checking on businesses, being visible." He continued. "Folks like to see that the law is out and about. It's no Dodge Cirty, or Abiline Kansas, but it can have it's moments, that's for sure."
The first thing Shintaro thought when the Marshal offered a job in the Marshal's office was something more like a servant, cleaning, making coffee that sort of thing. Not that he would have refused such work, it wouldn't be anything he hadn't done before while living in San Franscisco. Thus it took him a few seconds to register just what the Marshal was offering.
"You do me great honor," he responds, bowing deeply. "I'm not worthy of such a position, I only know a little of American law, I couldn't possibly effectively keep the peace."
Enforcing laws and dealing with dissidents and rebels was something he definitely had experience in. That was his role as a member of the Shinsengumi and he performed well enough to gain recognition. If fate hadn't taken the unexpected turn that it did, he was certain he would have raised up in ranks within the Shinsengumi. In the end moving the American with his wife was about the only way he could truly move on after the events of the Boshin War and the fall of the Shogunate.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed smiled, "The job as a deputy would entail keeping the peace, but you would not be alone. You would work with me for a spell to get you acclimated to the way things work out here. We pretty much deal in right and wrong, as opposed to a set of laws. We have them, but we are required to make judgment calls on most things. Murder, for instance, is pretty cut and dried, and rare."
"Now we've had a bank robbery, only once, but a citizen died as a result. All but one of the men responsible were captured or killed." He went on, "But out here, sometimes justice comes out of the barrel of a gun. It's just the way things are. We had a rustling problem, and without a County Sheriff, my hands were tied. Jurisdiction. I am bound to the town, we all are, until we get a Sheriff."
He smiled and then said, "I know it's a great deal for you to think about, and there's no rush. Take your time, get to know the town, and some of the merchants. It's a pretty good place to live."
It seemed knowing all of America's laws wasn't a requirement and he would be apprentised, or at least trained by the Marshal till he learned all he needed to know. He hadn't needed any special education when he joined the Shinsengumi other than his martial skills so he shouldn't have been surprised they would be enough for keeping the peace here.
"I do have experience keeping the peace, it is what I did back in Japan with the Shinsengumi." Shintaro revealed. Kelispell was a tiny village compared to Kyoto he doubted he would have trouble keeping the peace here. The difficult part was restraining himself from being too harsh when he did find criminals whether justice came by gun or by his sword. Not that he was overly concerned, he had sworn to his wife to refrain from killing but she hadn't asked him to never take on a job much like he had with the Shinsengumi. Not that he would use that as a way to avoid keeping his word to her, his word and honour meant more than that. Killing in the line of duty however wouldn't be breaking his word, especially if the lives of others was at stake.
"I will give your offer serious thought," Shintaro responds. He didn't want to rush into a decision but he doubted he would find a better job despite the bulk of friendly people he had met so far. Kelispell was small but he only met a handful of people and at least one definitely didn't like him simply because he was Japanese. "From what I've seen of the town so far has many merits and it does have a natural beauty I do appreciate. I don't have any reason not to stay at this point so finding a job and a place to stay is a priority."