Now Playing: The Songbird of the West
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Episode Twelve concluded with:
Dehner eased into the
corridor, partially closing the door to conceal himself. He moved close to the
office door, which was shut. Carrie Whiting had not been kidnapped again but
Dehner still felt that she was in danger.
***
“I can’t believe the cheap trick you just played on me…” Carrie broke loose
from Patten’s arm the moment they entered his large office.
“My, my, when did you suddenly get such high standards?”
“Are you going to throw that in my face? I was twelve, Bruce!”
Episode Thirteen
“Yes,
and you were almost as beautiful as you are now. I heard you singing to two
cowboys who were buying you drinks. They both wanted to…well…we both know what
they wanted. I took you away from that pair of barflys, and gave you a chance
to sing publicly. You became the star attraction at the Wild Horse
Saloon.”
“The place was a dump.”
Bruce laughed as he pulled a cigar
from a humidor on his desk. “The whole town was a dump. Always will be. That’s
why I left.”
Carrie
relaxed a bit, but only a bit. “Now you’ve got a town named after you.
Congratulations.”
Patten bit off the end of the cigar.
“Why not? This place was named Dry River because it was incorporated during a
drought. Not a name that would encourage
people to move here.”
Carrie shrugged her shoulders. “The
town does seem to be prospering.”
Patten flamed a match with his
thumbnail and put the fire to his cigar. He shook the match and dropped the
black ember into an ashtray on his desk. “That’s the reason I brought you to my
town. You see, selling booze isn’t a bad way to make a living, but--”
Carrie smiled sadly. “Running a
saloon is a dirty business, whether it’s a hole in the wall like the Wild Horse,
or an uptown operation like the Silver Crown.”
“Correct.” Patten leaned against his
desk and pointed to a chair. “That’s why I’m expanding into other areas. That,
and the opportunity to get filthy rich. You’re going to get filthy rich with
me, Carrie.”
The young woman realized that Bruce
Patten hadn’t changed much since he had made her the star of the Wild Horse
Saloon. His attitude was one of a commanding officer addressing an underling.
Still, Carrie couldn’t shake the
notion that she was in debt to Patten. What would her life have been like without
him?
Against her better judgment, Carrie
sat down in front of her former boss. “I’m listening.”
Tomorrow: Episode Fourteen of The
Songbird of the West
