Now Playing: Dangerous Calling
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Episode Eight concluded with:
Fargo’s laugh
became louder. “Abner, you are--”
“Call me Reverend Goodman. Remember, I am Reverend Jim Goodman!”
“Yeah, Fargo, it would be a real shame to mess-up Abner’s scheme!” A large
burly man walked into the church. “You forgot to close the door completely
after ya watched the mayor ride off. Guess you’re not use ta dealin’ with
church doors, Abner. Course, ya don’t want the good folks of Antioch knowin’
that.”
The newcomer remained on his feet with one hand not far from the .44 strapped
to his waist.
Episode Nine
Coogan
stared at the vaguely familiar face. He needed a few moments before he could
say, “Chet Wooster.”
“That’s right,” Wooster replied.
“Been a while, huh?”
“Yeah, about three years.” Abner
Coogan remembered Wooster from a bank holdup. Back then, Coogan had worried
about Wooster’s drinking, but Chet Wooster’s problem had been under some
control.
That
control now seemed to have become weaker. Wooster’s nose was a collection of
red veins. Weight had dropped from his medium frame, apparently because he now
drank a good part of his diet. He wasn’t drunk at the moment, but his hand was
trembling. He appeared to be having the shakes.
“How
long have you been in town, Chet?”
“Long
enough to hear ‘bout all the money bein’ saved for a new church. Long enough to
be in the café when ya tole the mayor you was a sky pilot. I guess the real
Reverend Goodman is coyote food.”
Abner
kept his voice friendly, “What have you got in mind, Chet?’
“You,
Fargo and me pulled off that bank job pretty good. Reckon I’ll help ya with
this job. You’re cuttin’ me in, Abner. If not, I go to the mayor and tell ‘em
who ya really are.”
Coogan
slowly got up from the pew. As he did, Wooster’s hand moved closer to his gun.
“Sure, Chet, I’ll cut you in. Reckon you can be a big help.”
Wooster’s
eyes fastened on the gun which was still in Coogan’s hand.
Abner
saw the distrust in the face of his former cohort. He opened the six gun,
rodded out the bullets and handed them to Fargo. “Put those back in your
gunbelt.” He then handed his partner the gun. “And you can holster the gun. This
is a time for a little celebratin’.”
He
turned back to Wooster. “I have a bottle in my saddle bags. What say the three
of us step outside and have a little drink to celebrate our new partnership?”
The
caution vanished from Chet’s face. “Sounds good.”
As
the three men left the church, Coogan shot his partner a quick glance. Fargo
understood the meaning: be ready for anything.
“Got
my horse tied up over there,” Coogan said. The three men walked to the grove of
trees across from the church. Abner opened one of the saddle bags, pulled out a
bottle and handed it to his partner. “Open that up, Fargo, but let Chet have
the first sip. After all, he’s our new partner.”
“Sure!”
Fargo took the bottle and walked toward the horse’s head. Chet’s desperate eyes
followed the bottle. Wooster now had his back to Coogan, his attention centered
fully on the treasure in Fargo’s hand.
Abner
Coogan smiled inwardly. This was almost too easy. He removed a large knife from
his saddle bag and rammed it into Wooster’s back. He clasped a hand over the
outlaw’s mouth as he fell, and then Coogan slowly laid Chet Wooster face down
on the ground.
“Help
me carry him into the trees,” Abner whispered to Fargo.
The
two men carried their latest victim far into the grove until they reached an
area wide enough for a grave. They dropped Wooster onto the ground. Coogan
placed two fingers on his neck.
“Is
he still alive?” Fargo asked.
“Not
by much. He’ll probably be gone by the time we dig a hole for him.”
Fargo
chuckled, “I almost hope he ain’t.”
“Why’s
that?”
“Ain’t
never buried no one alive before. Might be kinda fun.”
Tomorrow:
Episode Ten of Dangerous Calling
