"Constable!" Maggie calls, "I have some information you may need to hear."
Gabriel directs Maggie into the Mountie office and asks, "Did Simon confess as to how he stowed away on the stagecoach. I am wondering if I should send a message to the Mountie Regional Headquarters in Clearwater to see if they have any reports of a missing boy."
Maggie starts to reveal what she has learned, "Simon is being raised by his aunt and uncle after both of his parents died. He did not come out and say that they abused him, but I saw evidence of it when I examined him for injuries. Also, he admitted that he was in a store across from the stage, and he snuck in while they were loading Miss Lexi's trunks. He also begged Miss Lexi to let him stay with her and he 'promised to be a good boy' if he could stay with her which just breaks my heart to hear that level of desperation in one so young."
Maggie continues, "As for Miss Lexi, she has been living in England for the past seven years with her grandfather. He died last year, and her cousin was trying to force her to marry him so he could acquire her inheritance. She was asked to escort two orphans that had been in the orphanage Grace is running to Canada. Also, she brought two trunks from Grace that are going to Lillian. The men from the stagecoach left them outside your office. I hope I have convinced her to stay for a few weeks so that I can monitor the healing of her shoulder. When she said that she was going to switch to trying to shoot with her left hand while the right shoulder heals, I told her no shooting with either hand for at least a week."
"Well, maybe I will task Constable Drake with assisting her with shooting with her left hand once you say she is able." Gabriel says with a little chuckle.
"Are you playing matchmaker, Constable? Are you picking up Joe's bad habits?" Maggie asks with a twinkle in her eyes.
With an innocent face, Gabriel says, "Not at all, Nurse Maggie, I just think he needs to make up for his comment that sounded like he was questioning her prowess in shooting. By the way, she is very accurate, which is especially amazing after being shot in the right shoulder."
Maggie and Gabriel look around as Marcus brings in the first bandit. As he puts the body inside the jail cell for keeping until the wagon to transport them shows up tomorrow, a small silver locket falls out of one of the bandit's pockets. Marcus picks it up and hands it to Gabriel. When Gabriel opens it, he sees a picture of a young girl who looks remarkably like Lexi. He looks at the inscription on the back that reads, "To the best mom ever, Love Lexi."
Gabriel looks at Maggie and says, "I think I am going to need our new sharpshooter to look at the bandits she shot. She may have known them at some point."
Just then, Lillian walked into the NWMP office and asked Gabriel why there were trunks outside the door to the office. Before he could explain Ruth Trudeau came in with a telegram for Lillian. When Lillian read the missive, her face lit up with excitement and happy tears appeared in her eyes. She handed the telegram to Gabriel and once he read it, he enfolded her in his arms. Over her head he explained to Maggie and Marcus that Grace and Chuck were coming home and Grace was pregnant.
Gabriel pointed to the trunks and said that two of them had been sent to Lillian from Grace. They were brought to Brookfield by a woman who escorted two orphans to their families in Canada. She was currently in the Infirmary having been treated by Maggie for a gunshot wound.
"Maggie, do you think Simon will be okay to stay with you so that I can bring Lexi over here to look at these bandits to see if she knows who they are?" Gabriel asks. "I don't think a little boy needs to see them." Maggie nods.
He asks Lillian to accompany them to the Infirmary. As they cross the street to the Infirmary, Gabriel explains, "Simon is a young boy that stowed away in the stagecoach and we think ran away from his abusive aunt and uncle." Lillian looks horrified.
Gabriel opens the door for Maggie and Lillian and greets Lexi and Simon. Lexi stands up with a smile towards Lillian and says, "You must be Lillian! You are just as Grace described. I hope you have some embarrassing stories about Chuck because he shared a few about you!"
Gabriel says, "Before Lillian shares the stories, I am sure we will all enjoy, Lexi I believe you need to see something in my office across the street." He hands her the locket that was on the bandit.
Lexi looks disbelievingly at the locket and says with shock in her voice, "Where on Earth did you get this? I gave this to my mother seven years ago about three days before I left for England!"
