Lexi and Gabriel cross the street towards the Mountie office. They left Simon cuddling with Lillian and Maggie. As they enter the office, they notice that all three bodies have been brought in and the bandanas are no longer covering their faces. Lexi gasps and says, "These are three of my faux brothers!"
"You have another brother? Is he older or younger than these three?" asks Marcus.
"No," Lexi clarifies, "I said that they are three of my faux brothers. Faux as in fake. My grandfather told me when I got to England that the 'brothers' I grew up with were not actually related to me because my mom was not their mom and their dad was not my dad. I was so happy to find that out. Unfortunately, if these three are on the wrong side of the law, then the other three are as well. These three are followers. The oldest faux brother is the leader."
Gabriel asks, "If the oldest is the leader, and the other two are with him do you think they would also be trying to rob stagecoaches? Or would the oldest sit out and let the others take the fall or bring him the rewards?"
"Oh Gordon, the oldest, is definitely the kind to send the 'soldiers' off to do his bidding while he stays safe. I am not sure if they would be robbing stagecoaches, or not. Growing up I could tell he saw his younger siblings as a means to an end. However, I don't think any of them saw his true motives." Lexi reveals. "While I haven't seen any of them in over seven years, I can tell you that they all have similar features and coloring."
"Just because you aren't really related to them, why do you call them your faux brothers? It seems to be more than the fact you aren't actually related." Marcus asks.
"Constable Drake, you are correct. My faux brothers never behaved as brothers to me." Pointing at the bandit that had the locket, "This one, Gregory, is the youngest and he used to throw rocks at me. Once, just the week before his fifth birthday, he decided to do another round of 'hit sister with rocks' and two year old me hit him in the nose so hard that it broke. He had two black eyes and a broken nose for his birthday. All six were doing things to hurt me throughout my childhood, it would only stop when I really started fighting back. I paid attention when they fought each other to figure out the best places to hit and the best maneuvers to fell an opponent. Then, the night before I left, the two oldest cornered me in my room. I'm pretty sure their intent wasn't just to beat me up, but I didn't stop to ask questions. I broke the left leg of George, number two and then knocked him unconscious. Unfortunately while I was dealing with George, Gordon got a shot to my right side and left side and cracked three ribs on my right and fractured two ribs on my left. I guess fear and adrenaline kept me on my feet and allowed me to turn and get a sharp chop to the side of his neck. It knocked him unconscious, and since I wasn't sure if either would awake soon I dragged myself to my mom's room. We agreed that I needed to leave immediately, so she helped me get to Savannah that night and I boarded the ship to England the next morning with my chaperone. I begged my mom to go with me, but she said dad would never let both of us go. I wish I could have convinced her then maybe she wouldn't have died three days later." Lexi finishes sadly with tears in her eyes.
Marcus tentatively puts his right arm around Lexi taking care not to hurt her right shoulder. His green eyes lock with Gabriel's brown as Lexi rests her head on Marcus's chest. Gabriel says that he is going to send a telegram about all of the bandits, alive and dead. He asks Lexi what the name of the third brother is. Lexi responds, "Gideon."
Gabriel leaves Marcus and Lexi in the office and walks next door to the Trudeau's to send a telegram to his superior, Staff Sgt. Oakley in Clearwater. In the telegram, he says he needs transport for three dead bandits, warns about three others that may be in the area, and asks if there have been any reports of a missing toddler boy. He realizes that most of the information Lexi gave him about her faux brothers needs to be shared with Oakley face to face since the phone line still hasn't reached Brookfield. Since it is too late to go today, maybe he will see if Lillian would want to ride to Clearwater with him tomorrow.
