Nettie had been quiet as they walked. Her uncle wasn't as chatty as she tended to be, and she was always curious what was going on in his mind. When he coughed, she slapped him on the back a few times hoping to help with whatever caused it. "Are you feeling alright ? We could do this tomorrow..."

She believed him when he said he was content, she had to. If he couldn't trust her to listen and trust him back, what reason would she have to be there? "I'm glad. Knowing my presence helps you at all makes this entire trip worth it." The blond woman shrugged and looked around before gesturing. "Well you haven't lived here long and definitely haven't needed to hunt for a place. But there is a constable, maybe he can suggest a place. I mean, if anyone would know which places to stay are less likely to have their women traveling alone just disappear. It would be one of them. Right?"

It had been the constable that had come with the get well present for Richards. He seemed to have heard his name and glanced back. The moment they made eye contact, he seemed to immediately turn back around and talk quickly to someone next to him.

It was a good point she made: Malachi had never had to find lodgings in the way that most people did. He had always lived wherever his churches set aside for him. Some had been better than others, some crowded, some empty, but he had never had to put any thought into them.

Malachi followed Nettie's gaze to the constable nearby.

"Good plan. I believe I've met that one."

He was pretty sure that one just tried to avoid him too. It brought a smile to his face, small and amused.

"Constable Crane?" called Malachi. Making sure that Nettie followed, he directed their path towards the constable.

"Ah, that is you, isn't it?"

Elijah had just been trying to have an average day, even as misery took hold and the fact he was doing something so crazy had him feeling restless and uneasy. When he noticed the familiar figure of the other priest who had been there when he tried to give the gift, he turned away. At the moment, everything about the church made him feel sad and uneasy , almost even sick. He started to talk to a woman nearby that he'd met and was asking how her day had been when he heard the voice behind him.

He turned slowly and forced as natural of a smile as he could. "Ah, Father Brennan, how nice to see you. Ah, and to you Miss?" He bowed slightly to be polite towards the clearly unrelated woman beside him. Were these two? No, no priest would ever do something so bold and he believed this priest to be a fine person from their very short meeting.

The woman beside him nodded slightly and introduced herself as his niece, Nettie Brennan. "Ah, I hope you like this town. If you both need anything, don't hesitate to ask." It was a common enough line he'd said to new people. He hoped that was all and he could quickly disappear again.

The poor constable was definitely trying to avoid conversation. Malachi couldn't have said why, and didn't know him nearly well enough to make a guess.

Maybe he had made him uncomfortable when they'd met. He'd hardly be the first.

"It's nice to see you as well, constable," he returned with a smile. Malachi observed him as Nettie introduced herself, but could not find anything... out of place, exactly. Constable Crane's offer brought his attention back to the man's face.

"Actually," Malachi shoved a foot in the metaphorical door Crane sought to close.

"We were hoping you could point us to a good place for Nettie to stay, semi-permanently. I'm sure you know your way around very well, being a constable and all."

Malachi was being polite and welcoming, clearly Gabriel hadn't said anything not that he expected he would. He'd know Elijah would keep his word and not return. He smiled slightly to show he was willing to help but avoided looking directly at him.
"Of course. I know a couple of places that visitors have enjoyed and haven't had much in the way of trouble. I think the more affordable option isn't far from the presbytery so that would work well, right? You can be close to each other to visit."

He didn't know if it was a true story, but he would act like he believed it. Families could be complicated and he would never dare to call a priest a liar. They seemed very familiar and on good terms with each other either way. The niece seemed quite happy with the option.

"Do you want me to take you there now or is there anything else?" He looked towards Malachi then away. "And I hate to ask any favor, but may I simply ask if it isn't too much trouble? The basket I delivered to your home for Richards' recovery. I was unable to retrieve it and do not think I can try again."

So evasive. For every second that passed in which the constable avoided looking at him, Malachi's desire to steal his gaze was only made more intense. It was a painfully quick switch, he'd found, whenever something caught his curiosity and clawed it free of the unaffected countenance he sought to wear.

"That sounds perfect," he agreed with a grateful dip of his head.

He started to say more, but cut himself off before the constable could think twice about voicing his request.

'Unable' was a peculiar choice of word. Malachi hoped he hadn't frightened him off, but he did not push for an explanation.

"Of course," granted Malachi. "I can bring it to you instead. And please, never hesitate to ask for anything. I'm here to help in any way you need, constable."

The question of why Crane was unable to retrieve the basket himself was scratching at the inside of his brain, yes, but he smiled through it and hoped the man could take his words to heart.

"If you wouldn't mind showing us the way, I would be grateful."

Elijah nodded and slowly relaxed a bit from his nervous appearance. "It is no problem, I only hope it is what you are looking for." As he started to walk to lead them towards the boarding house he knew of, he looked ahead and rubbed his hands together slightly.

"Thank you, I am truly grateful and I apologize for asking you to do something like this. You can bring it to my home if it is later in the day as I tend to normally spend most of my time walking around town rather than in one place. I don't want to put you on a journey for such a thing." He chuckled weakly.

The words 'in any way you need' had him do a double take of Malachi and raise a brow. Was that suspicious? No, his mind was just in a wrong place. Between Gabriel and the Swordfish he was imagining things.

"Of course. Please feel free to come to me as well. We both serve the community, I believe we both do it sincerely with a pure desire to help. Right?" It was meant to be rhetorical but what did he know for certain.

Malachi tossed a glance to his niece, making sure that she was still content with the current plan, and walked at her side as the constable set off. His hands slipped behind him again, folding neatly at the back of his waist.

"There's no need to thank me," he assured, "just let me know where, and I'll bring it by soon."

(What would Father Richards think, he wondered, if he told him that he was going to Constable Crane's house? The poor constable had seemed nervous enough when he'd dropped off the gift in the first place, so he couldn't be sure if the gift had been ill-received or if Crane was just always like this. He did not dare ask Father Richards, either.)

If the priest thought anything of the odd look Crane gave him, he said nothing of it. His eyes merely lifted from where they'd taken to watching the cobblestone street, and met Crane's for that brief moment of the other man's suspicion.

"Yes, you're right. That is what I hope to do, in any case. I've only heard good things about you and your work, and that was very kind of you to bring the basket by the presbytery."

He carefully avoided mentioning his fellow priest.

Elijah gave a slight bow as he walked and looked ahead," you are the one with a more fixed schedule to keep. Just let me know when and where you'd like to meet and I will meet with you."

He didn't know why it was so difficult to get the basket. He started to regret making it a big deal and should have just stepped up to malachi after service one Sunday and ask him. But then if the priest was busy he might ask Richards and that was what Elijah wanted the most and the least.

The constable looked shameful as he mentioned what he'd heard and slowly placed the on the smile once more. "I do hope I don't disappoint. I am glad to hear such kind things. When you are out on the street during your job it can feel quite the opposite."

He nodded once more but hung his head low. "Thank you, it wasn't much. I hope it was enjoyed."

As they walked he quickly wanted to change the conversation and started to speak about Clarke's Home for Women. "It's been here for about thirty years. It is a nice little place from what I've heard and seen. They only let women stay there and no male visitors unless it's a relative and they have to be escorted at all times and out by dark. I know those two rules but I believe that the lady who runs the place as more. They charge those who they can. But that's because she tends to have one or two rooms that are free if a woman finds herself in need of emergency shelter. I think it will do Miss Nettie very well." He smiled towards her and the young woman who had been watching the interaction with curious eyes nodded quickly.

This Crane fellow seemed to take praise about as well as he took anything else. Malachi had never met a constable so modest and... level-headed? Was that the appropriate word, when the man looked like a well-placed word would knock him down?

Malachi didn't push him. Didn't place that word, whatever it might've been. As his formalities were tempered by his niece's presence, so, too, were his less desirable qualities that might have driven him to figure Crane out.

He kept at Nettie's side as they followed after the constable, pointing things out to her here and there when he recognized them. Malachi might not have been in town for long, but he had wandered the streets enough by now to have a fairly decent understanding. Once the mentioned boarding house came into view, he glanced at his niece for her reaction, and then turned his attention back to Crane.

"That sounds fair," said Malachi. And safe.

It was also a good place for him to know about regardless of whether Nettie stayed there or not, just in case they ever happened to want a visit from a Catholic priest. Who didn't love a priest showing up on their doorstep?

Another quiet cough.

"What do you think?" he inquired with another glance towards Nettie. "They might let you in to see it first, if you asked."

Perhaps not himself or Crane... but they weren't the ones thinking of staying there.