Daniel looked back and forth between his uncle and Sky Dog, listening to their discussion of where there might be some more folks in danger from the Wilderness Riders. Though there was still the matter at hand. "Didja wanna git that key, uncle? Seems like there could be a clue as ta the fella what done this in there."

Sky Dog glanced over at Daniel. "If you do think Mansfield has some guilt for these, it may be well not to go into his room without that he is also there," the shaman said carefully, scratching and smoothing Korpi's nape as the raven pressed her skull to his behind his ear. "-if he makes one thing faster, stronger than a man and maybe using pieces of a dead one, why may he not make another?"

Sky Dog gestured at the locked door, letting the others work out the connections.

While the others talked, Morgan made his way downstairs, winding his way through the patrons on the lower floor as he sought out McNary. Once he was able to locate the saloon owner, he drew him aside, keeping his voice low.

"Mr. McNary, I assure you I would not ask you this if it wasn't of the greatest importance, but can you tell me the names of the people that are presently renting your rooms upstairs?"

The saloon's owner and namesake looked up at Caleb as he approached, but didn't ponder the matter too long.

"Well, I got six rooms. You already know about three of 'em - that's yourself, Daniel and Gabby. The three more rooms, one's Suzy's - and I'm holdin' it for her at no charge till she gets back. She brings in enough custom to make it worth my while in any case. I hope the poor dear's alright," he said.

"The other two...well, one was that fella...Paul what's his name. The fella that got killed up there when Suzy was with him. And the other one's the drunkard, Mansfield. Fella paid up as soon as he came in, in advance at that, and then drank the rest of his money away."

---

Outside the saloon out back, the man who had just gotten done sicking up answered Darling's questions. "My name's Larry, I'm a carpenter and I'm stayin' at my home. No, no, no, and no. Don't know nothin'. Just walked on up here, saw this fella...I ain't never been good 'round blood and all that."

Morgan frowned, nodding as McNary discussed his renters. Clearing his throat and speaking quietly, he said, "I need to ask you for the key to Mansfield's room. There's been a second murder and it looks like the culprit came from here." He gestured toward the ceiling. "The back door that leads to that rickety staircase is wide open. It looks like someone jumped out of it. Strange as it may sound, Mansfield is the only person that stays on the second floor I haven't been able to account for."

In reply to The Marshal (msg # 182):

"When you saw the dead man, why didn't you call for help or run away?"

"Well, I was pukin' and then a whole crowd had swarmed up. Seemed a little late for that."

"Okay, Larry, be on your way. If you remember anything you think might be helpful, come see Deputy Earp at the Marshall's office." Darling gets the man's last name and address before he goes.

Turning to the blanket-shrouded corpse, he pulls back the covering and looks at the wounds. He pulls the man's revolver from his holster and sniffs at the barrel, then breaks the action open to unload it into his hand.


Rising, he walked over to Coraline, "Do you know whether Dr. Smith has been summoned?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:58, Fri 17 May 2013.

Daniel nodded at Morgan's assertion, then turned to the proprietor of the establishment. "Do ya s'pose ya can git us inta his room? Might be somethin' worth seein' in there if he's doin' these bad sorta things."
This message was last updated by the GM at 21:00, Fri 17 May 2013.

Coraline shook her head at Randolph.  "I haven't the faintest idea.  Do you think he needs to be?  There's nothing he can do for the dead man except examine him to see if he was murdered by the same culprit.  Perhaps we should just have the body moved to his office and out of sight of... the public."

Gabby waits upstairs with Sky Dog, petting Clementine as she sniffed around the doorway. Clementine barked every time a firework went off...not scared, just excited by the noise. The fireworks were too distant to be much threat to her way of thinking.

The shaman briefly touched three fingers to his forehead in lieu of a third warning, saying only "I advise to bring a blanket - if there is a fast, unmastered thing to catch, it is better than to have it also in the streets, yes?"

With a brief detour to toe shut the outside door, Sky Dog padded downstairs and made for the street. Korpi grabbed his ear and tried to pull him back. "Nyet!"

The shaman turned and silently took her on his wrist and set her on the bar, leaning to her level. A couple of words and some mute reassurance passed between the Siberians before the pale one straightened and paced out into the unquiet night.

In reply to Coraline Hawthorne (msg # 188):

"I thought I heard Morgan say he wanted the doctor to see him before he was moved, in situ, so to speak. One of us should make sure he's on his way, while the other waits here to keep the body in custody. I'll stay, if you want to go, but it's your call."

"I think it better if you stay and keep the peace here.  You have a better grasp of the situation, in my opinion.  I shall go fetch the doctor and will return shortly."  With a wary glance at the blanket covering the body, she threaded through the crowd and headed for the street, hoping that the doctor was actually in his office and not out enjoying the festivities.  Otherwise, it could be hours before they managed to find him.

Hank McNary looked uncertainly at the deputies, and then shrugged. "Well, I can't just give you the keys, but I could come with - just to make sure all's well." He looked about, and aside from a few of the usual barflies the place was pretty well empty. He gave some brief instructions to one of the girls who worked for him waiting tables, and he went upstairs along with a set of keys.

Clementine sniffed at the door hesitantly and barked a little bit, then started barking more.

"Now, you calm down, doggie," he said, bending down to pet the dog and attempt to calm her down for a moment before he straightened himself up again. "Now let's see, which one was it." He pulled out a ring full of keys, and tried a couple of them.

"I can't never remember what key on here does what. I haven't been up in here to make up the fellas room since he got in here. I think..." He turned his key, and it clicked.

Inside, the room is immaculately kept. The bed is sharply made, and the closet doors are cleaned. The rug on the floor is very neat, and everything is generally tidy and well in order.

"Go ahead and look for whatever y'all are lookin' for. Don't know where the fella is, but if there's no cause on it, don't want him comin' back to me givin' y'all the ol' show'n'tell in his room."

Daniel gave Hank a friendly smile and nodded at his instruction. "Unnerstood. We'll try'n be quick as lightnin'." Searching for clues wasn't Daniel's forte, but the room wasn't very big, either. He looked to see if anything jumped out at him as suggesting anything besides what appeared to be an orderly person.

Gabby kneels by Clemetnine.

"Shhh, girl..." he says. "Smellin' somethin' foul? Go find it."

He lets Clementine go and heads into the room to help Danial with his search.

"Korpi," Korpi told the barmaid with great gravitas, looking up at her.

"I appreciate it, Mr. McNary," Morgan said as he stepped inside Mansfield's room. He stepped over to the closet, carefully opening the doors.

Opening the closet, Caleb finds an open steamer trunk that's empty. Hung neatly above are a few shirts - three made of white silk, two of darker colored cotton. All the clothing is in a fairly poor and tattered condition.

Daniel pulled open a drawer on a nearby shelf, finding within it a black doctor's valise. Digging around inside the valise, he found that it was full of what he recognized to be surgeon's tools, and a small black carrying case.

Clementine's nose lead her right to the bed, and she stuck her head under it, working at something. She looked up at Gabby and barked once, sticking her head under the bed and pulling on something that was obviously heavy by the way she held herself. From the part she seemed able to pull out, they could tell it was a carpetbag.

Gabby picked up the carpet bag, trying to get a feel for what might be inside it before he opened it.

Clementine barked once as he picked up the bag. The bag was heavy, even as the older miner lifted it. Not so heavy that he couldn't handle it's weight, but heavy nonetheless.

"EAGH!" Gabby says, dropping the carpet bag onto the bed and wiping his hands on his trousers repeatedly...one might even say obsessively.

"Well, I think we done found our killer." he says after a moment of regaining his composure. He points to the bag. "And that's what he's been carryin' his trophies in!"