Now Playing:Ultimatum
Episode Three concluded with:
Henry Willford smiled but his face held terror.
“We’re takin’ you over to my shop. I got an empty closet you can fill for a
while, Deputy.”
Rip Gowdy stood overwhelmed by his predicament.
He was being taken prisoner, in broad daylight, by a group of men who had never
broken a law before in their lives. The Town of Hardin was close to exploding.
If he started a fight and seriously hurt one of his captors, mayhem could break
out and the good citizens of Hardin might kill each other before the Indians
got a chance.
Episode Four
***
Rance
Dehner was tired and looking forward to a few days rest in Hardin. He and Bret
Carson hadn’t gone fishing together in over a year: time to do something about
that.
As
he neared the town, Dehner began to suspect that Marshall Carson might have other
things on his mind beside dusting off his fishing pole. The Indians lining the
top of a hill outside of Hardin were not there for a picnic.
As
Rance rode into Hardin, he saw Rip Gowdy surrounded by four townsmen. One of
them was holding a gun on the deputy. A small number of people were scattered
over the town’s boardwalks, watching intently but doing nothing.
“This
town has gone crazy,” Dehner whispered to himself.
The
detective spurred his horse into a gallop toward the four men who were taking
Rip Gowdy captive. All four townsmen looked at the intruder and froze with
indecision. Dehner leapt onto the
gunman. The two men hit the ground.
Dehner grabbed the Colt from the tall, thin man and buoyed back onto his
feet.
Rance
knew nothing about the situation and handed the gun to someone who did.
“Deputy, I hope I just interrupted an elaborate joke.”
“Nothing
funny about this, Rance,” Gowdy’s eyes scanned his four would be captors. “Just
four gents acting stupid. Very stupid.”
The
four townsmen refused to look Gowdy in the eyes. The Deputy barked angrily at
them. “Go home! All of ya! And stay outta saloons!”
The
four men quickly dispersed. Dehner told the deputy he’d meet him at the marshall’s
office after stabling his horse.
As
he rode to the livery, Dehner looked around at the citizens of Hardin. Most of
them were now silently gazing eastward at the strange collection of Indians
standing on a hill. The detective reckoned he would not be doing much fishing
on this visit.
Tomorrow:
Episode Five of Ultimatum
