Now Playing: The Darkness
Episode Nine
concluded with:
The two detectives
trailed the buckboard at a steady pace, going almost completely by the rattling
sound of the wagon. There was no moon. Only a few stars spotted the sky, their
light partially concealed as if hiding from a predator.
Cummings rode the buckboard to a dilapidated ranch house. He didn’t bother to
open the gate that surrounded the house, but guided the horses around to the
right side where the fence abruptly ended. The steeds actually needed little
guidance. They had made this trip before.
Dehner and his boss both dismounted and walked their horses to a tree with a
large overhang. From the darkness, they watched as a man emerged from the
house carrying a lantern. He limped and appeared elderly.
“I believe we have found our ghost.” Even in a soft whisper, Lowrie’s voice
sounded contemptuous.
Episode Ten
The tree stood a safe distance from
the ranch. Dehner scanned the area. “When they finish unloading, we can advance
on the house. The fence is no problem and then we can use the barn as a cover.
Once we get beyond the barn, we’ll just have to keep low and hope no one looks
out the window.”
“A risk we
most certainly should take,” Lowrie replied. “The conversations flowing from
that house may be well worth hearing.”
The two
detectives tied their horses to the tree and made for the house. Dehner’s boss
moved with remarkable stealth, easily blending his tall, thin frame into the
darkness of the night. Bertram Lowrie has not forgotten the lessons learned in
the British Military, Rance mused to himself.
Both Dehner
and Lowrie flattened themselves against the side of the ranch house and
listened to the angry voices that wafted through the opened window.
“Give me
the combination to the safe, Mr. Monahan. Jesse made a pile on his last
gambling trip. We both need the money.”
“Where is
the fresh horse you promised me for the journey back to San Diego?!”
“I’ll buy
it with the money from the safe. Why’d you kill Jesse, anyway? That wasn’t part
of the deal. We were just going to scare McRae, so if he started blabbing about
what really happened four years ago, people would think he was some crazy guy
who sees ghosts.”
“I had to
kill Jesse. He saw me. He saw me kill that man four years ago.”
“You didn’t
kill that jasper, I did! You and Jesse didn’t have the sand for the job.”
Monahan’s
voice became louder. “The head! I’m the one who took off the head. You couldn’t
do it! I had to use an ax!”
“The guy
was already dead! Look, give me the combination. You have to stay here a while
until your wound heals. I’ll bring you what you need until you can ride back to
San Diego and back to being Phineas--”
“I will not
be betrayed!”
“You crazy
galoot!” Cummings voice resounded with panic. “Put down the knife or I’ll kill
you!”
Dehner and
Lowrie charged into the house. Cummings turned, saw them coming and began to
draw his gun. Dehner tackled him and both men went down. The sound of Cummings’
gun skittering across the floor could be heard along with the thump of two bodies
landing on creaky wood.
Darkness
fell over the room. Rance absorbed a punch to his forehead which had probably
been aimed at his jaw. Responding with two hard blows to Cummings’ head, Dehner
could hear loud grunts accompanied by a screech of pain and scrambling
footsteps.
Rance and
his opponent were still on the floor. Both men buoyed onto their knees: two
shadows battling to determine which one would be allowed to stand. Cummings
attempted a roundhouse, but he was queasy from the two assaults and the punch
missed, heaving his torso forward. Dehner’s roundhouse didn’t miss and Wyatt
Cummings went down.
A meager
light flickered back into the room. Bertram Lowrie had lit a kerosene lantern.
Driblets of blood were spattered down Lowrie’s left cheek.
“Are you
okay, sir?” Dehner spoke as he got to his feet.
“Yes.
Adrian Monahan doused this lantern, then slammed me in the face with Cummings’
gun.
“Do you
know where he is?”
Lowrie
nodded toward the outside. “He’s out there somewhere. We have a madman running
loose in the dark with a loaded gun.”
Tomorrow: Episode
Eleven of The Darkness
