Now Playing: The Robin Hood of the Range
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Episode Two concluded with:
“Didn’t ya hear?” Amos Noonan spoke loudly as
was his custom. “The bank in Grimsby got robbed two days ago. We’re trackin’
the man who done it. Think it was Ricky Cates.”
Elsie’s anxiety sounded like anger in her voice.
“Can’t see why a U.S. Marshall and his deputy have to make such a big deal over
two hunnert dollars. That banker, Russ Adams, thinks he has to have every penny
in the territory.”
Marshall Tyler looked confused. “Ma’am?”
“Well, that’s all that got took from the bank.
Two hunnert dollars!”
“Where’d you hear that?” A strong curiosity
laced Pete Tyler’s voice. Cates could hear it from where he stood directly
behind the door of the bedroom. The outlaw stared at the six-shooter in his
right hand. As always, it gave him a sense of power.
Episode Three
Elsie’s
nervousness became more apparent. She began to work her hands. “Why, we was in
town yesterday and someone told us. Can’t recollect who.”
“Someone
told you wrong!” Now the Marshall’s voice sounded angry. “The bank was cleaned
out of almost eight thousand dollars. And Russ Adams was gunned down in cold
blood.”
“That
can’t be true!” Simon shouted as he moved beside his wife.
“Why
not?” The Marshall shouted back. Neither lawman noticed the door behind them
opening.
Cates
fired two shots: the first ripped into the back of Marshall Tyler, the second
plunged through the throat of his deputy. Tyler slammed onto the dining table,
his body tipping the table over on its side as the lawman landed on his back.
His deputy dropped to his knees, then went down, splaying out onto the floor.
Both lawmen instinctively began to reach for their guns as they squirmed on the
floor only moments from death. Ricky Cates barged into the room and fired
another two shots into the heads of the lawmen.
Elsie
Bolger began to scream hysterically. “You ought not, you ought not!” Her
husband put an arm around the woman trying to calm her, but his body was also
trembling.
“Shut
up, old woman!” Ricky opened his six- shooter, pushed out the empty cartridges
and reloaded from his gun belt.
Elsie
continued to scream, “You ought not, you…”
Ricky
Cates stopped her screams with another shot. The horror of his wife’s brutal
death was the last thing Simon Bolger saw. Cates sent another bullet into the
old man’s chest.
Ricky
cursed himself as he once again reloaded. He should have let Simon Bolger live
for another few minutes. He needed to know where Isaiah was. The Bolgers talked
about their hand doing the “early chores.” What did that mean? Was Isaiah close
enough to have heard the shots? Probably, but Cates couldn’t be sure.
The
killer made his way around the dead bodies, hurried into the kitchen and
retrieved the three ten dollar bills from the jar. He again used caution in
stepping over the human obstacles as he returned to the bedroom. He didn’t want
to get blood on his boots.
Tomorrow: Episode Four of The Robin Hood
of the Range
