Trick or Treat
Part l
Running to his bedroom, Scott pulled his shirt off over his head; he was in a rush to clean up for the evening meal. He had about five minutes to wash up and change clothes before the appointed hour of family dining and bonding. Even though Murdoch didn't hold the reins on Scott as tightly as he did Johnny, the Lancer patriarch still expected his entire family to be on time for supper.
Normally, Scott was the punctual son, but this day had been one disagreeable incident after another beginning with his little brother at breakfast. Despite the trouble during the morning meal, thoughts of Johnny still brought an indulgent smile to his lips. God he loved having a kid brother.
In a petulant and peevish mood due to be roused from his bed by their father, Johnny had decided to square off with Scott over whose turn it was to clear out the creeks in the northern pastures. Murdoch had settled the argument by ordering Johnny to pick out a crew and get to it. Even though he had won the battle, Scott knew that the war was far from over. He could see the promised vengeance in his little brother's eyes.
Tucking his clean shirt in, Scott headed for the stairs; suddenly he stopped and executed a precision military about face. An odd feeling assailed him, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, something was amiss but he couldn't quite decide what. He didn't have time to inspect his bedroom now but planned to come back as soon as he could excuse himself and make a more thorough inspection. Shaking off the eerie feeling, Scott dashed to the stairs and took them at a dangerous rate of speed, barely sliding into his place at the table before the grandfather clock chimed the sixth hour.
"Cuttin' it kinda close there, aren't you, Brother?" Johnny asked grinning, obviously tickled to be able to point out his brother's near tardiness.
Not about to concede defeat, Scott quickly countered. "Not as often as you, my dear baby brother."
Johnny frowned and huffed, just the response that Scott was hoping for.
"Boys!" Murdoch admonished. "It's time to say grace."
Murdoch watched as his two boys locked eyes, each determined not to be the first to look away. "NOW!" he bellowed. Reluctantly a blond and brunet head bowed as Murdoch said the blessing over the bounty that was spread before them.
Once the amens had been said, the food began to pass around the table. Murdoch noticed that Johnny had managed to avoid spooning a portion of the peas and carrots onto his own plate. It didn't escape him that the boy had piled extra helpings of fried chicken and mashed potatoes though with two large slices of the fresh baked bread. He smiled to himself thinking, I'll remedy that.
"Teresa, please pass the peas and carrots, dear." When the bowl was passed to him he put a generous portion on his younger son's plate. Before Johnny could protest Murdoch quickly informed him, "I expect you to eat every bite. No argument! There's blueberry cobbler for dessert and you won't be enjoying it if you haven't cleaned your plate."
Murdoch knew Johnny's sweet tooth wouldn't let the undesired vegetables stand in the way of a sugary treat. Sure enough the peas and carrots were soon disappearing only because he wanted to get them down as quickly as he could, masking the taste of them with lots of fluffy potatoes and gravy. Murdoch was determined to make his son appreciate other vegetables besides potatoes. Sam had warned him that Johnny badly needed a well rounded diet including fresh vegetables and fruit. Fruit was easy, especially if baked in some recipe with added sugar but vegetables could sometimes be a battle.
The conversation went pleasantly enough with the topics consisting of progress reports of the days assigned chores, the new litter of kittens that Teresa had found in the hayloft, Maria's new batch of pickles, and Murdoch's decision to go ahead and purchase the new bull he had been looking at for the last couple of weeks.
During the meal, Scott noticed his little brother kept looking at him from time to time as if he was trying to make his mind up about something. Suddenly it occurred to him that maybe Johnny might have something to do with the feeling he had that something was amiss in his bedroom. As soon as the meal was over, Scott excused himself explaining he wanted to get a book from his room.
Johnny stood and watched as his brother hurried from the room and without any prompting he gathered his plate, glass and utensils and headed for the kitchen. Teresa and Maria looked at each other puzzled at the boy's actions since he rarely cleared his place at the table unless prompted by his father. When the ladies entered the kitchen a minute later, the young man was nowhere to be seen, but his plate had been scraped clean and laid on the counter with his utensils and glass placed neatly on top.
~*~L~*~A~*~N~*~C~*~E~*~R~*~
Quietly creeping up the back stairs, Johnny listened for his brother as he went. In the hallway he looked around to make sure he hadn't been detected before quickly making his way to his room. He wondered if Scott had been the culprit that had been messing around in his room.
He didn't have a lot in his room to be disturbed but the few items he did possess had definitely been handled. The brush and comb he kept on his dresser were still there but their positions had been switched around. He had first noticed the disturbance when he came in from clearing the creeks.
Johnny was a creature of habit due to his life as a gunfighter before coming home to Lancer. He always kept the brush on the left side and the comb on the right. Not only had they been switched but his shaving mug and razor had been moved to the back of the water bowl and pitcher. He always kept it to the right of the bowl.
Teresa or one of the other girls that helped keep the house clean usually dusted and cleaned his room two times a week but always put his things back exactly the way they found them. When he went come down for dinner he cornered Teresa and asked her if there were any new girls helping in the house. She had denied any new help had been hired. After finding out that Johnny was concerned that someone had been in his room she assured him that she had been the only one who had entered his room, and then admonished him for kicking his socks under the bed causing her to have to get on her hands and knees to retrieve them.
Johnny gave her an absent minded apology and went in search of his brother. Unfortunately, Scott hadn't made it back to the ranch yet. Now he eased the door to his room open; he peeked in, sure he would find his brother rummaging around. It had occurred to him during supper that maybe Scott was trying to play a joke on him when he caught him watching him during supper.
The room was empty and with a quick glance about, it appeared that nothing else had been disturbed. Johnny was a little puzzled because if his brother had been the culprit then his excuse to go to his room would have been a great opportunity to do further mischief.
He figured that Scott was trying to teach him a lesson for the argument they had at breakfast. Truthfully Johnny was surprised that his older brother would stoop to this level, a long lecture pointing out how childish he had been was more his brother's style. To be honest this was the sort of thing Johnny usually pulled himself.
Swiftly moving to the door when he heard movement coming from Scott's room, Johnny contemplated whether he should confront his older brother or wait and try to catch him in the act. Deciding on the later, Johnny stealthily tiptoed back down the hall and descended the stairs to the kitchen. Needing an excuse for disappearing, Johnny decided to head to the barn and check on Barranca.
~*~ L ~*~A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Scott stood dead center of his room and turned in a complete circle, his blue-grey eyes intently studying his room. Everything seemed to be just as he had left it. Maybe the picture of him in his uniform might be slightly off. His many bottles of cologne were in perfect order but also seemed to be setting a little further to the right side than he remembered. He was pretty sure his little brother was responsible for the subtle disturbances in his bedroom. It certainly was Johnny's style. The boy was clever with his mischief seldom slipping and giving any warning that a prank was about to be pulled… until it was too late. Scott reasoned that Johnny would know that any kind of shifting of his things would not go unnoticed and this was merely a prelude to worse things to come.
Scott decided to question the house staff before he confronted his oh so skillful baby brother just in case they had been cleaning in his room. The chances of that being the reason were slim since by his calculations they wouldn't be cleaning until tomorrow if they continued to follow the schedule they had been using since he first came to Lancer. Maria was adamant about making sure the rooms upstairs were given a thorough spit and polish twice a week.
Scott shook his head at the idea of it being any of the house staff. Maria would not tolerate anything not being replaced exactly as it was found. No, this little prank had Johnny written all over and it was just a matter of having patience before he was caught. The boy was just trying to get him back for losing the argument over who was going to clean out the creek beds. Well, Little Brother, you are playing with one of the big boys now and you are in for a rude awakening.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
The newspaper rattled as Murdoch lowered it upon hearing his ward enter the room. "Teresa, have you seen the boys?"
"Not since we left the table. Scott did say he was going to his room to retrieve a book he started last night. That was a while ago though." She frowned thinking he had been up there a long time for just a book.
"Did Johnny say anything about his plans for the evening?" Murdoch asked wondering where the devil his sons had wandered off to.
"No, he just picked up his plate and glass and took it into the kitchen and stacked them on the counter. He was gone when Maria and I went to finish cleaning up." Teresa said.
Hearing, Scott moving around in his room, Murdoch looked towards the ceiling. It seemed to be taking him a long time to find his book and where was Johnny. He doubted the boy was looking for a book as well. Frowning at not knowing what his two sons were up too Murdoch decided to finish his paper before going to investigate.
~*~ L ~* A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
With a distracted look on his face, Johnny scratched Barranca behind his ears as the palomino ate the apple he had cut up for him. "Something's going on, Amigo, and I think that sneaky brother of mine is behind it." Pausing to pucker his lips and tap them with his index finger, he reflected, "Scott got all pissy over that argument we had this morning and is trying to get me back. Don't know why he's all mad cause if anyone should be gettin' even it should be me. I'm the one who got the privilege of clearing out the damn creeks." Johnny continued to pamper his horse for a few minutes longer, the action calming him some. He didn't want to go back into the house mad. If Scott was responsible for the prank, Johnny didn't want to let on that he was number one on the suspect list.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Scott walked into the great room empty handed which didn't go unnoticed by Teresa or his father.
"Couldn't you find your book, son?" Murdoch asked.
"Huh? Oh…" Scott looked at his bare hand in confusion like he expected the book to just suddenly appear. Of course it didn't and he knew he should come up with an explanation. "I thought maybe I would play a game of chess with Johnny instead."
Scott looked around and noticed his brother was absent. "Where is Johnny?" he asked as he gazed up at the ceiling.
"I don't know…" Murdoch began answering only to have Scott run from the room and back up the stairs taking them two at a time. Looking at Teresa, Murdoch's mouth dropped open in confusion over Scott's behavior.
Scott reached his room and flung the door open yelling, "Aha!" The room was empty and Scott felt slightly foolish for lunging into a vacant room ready to confront his brother with his foolishness.
Murdoch was still staring at the spot his oldest son had been standing in before he charged upstairs when Johnny strolled in from the front door.
Noting with a quick observation that Scott was missing, Johnny inquired, "You seen Scott, Murdoch?"
"He was here a second ago asking about you. When he noticed you were absent he charged back upstairs… Johnny, come back here!" Murdoch bellowed as he watched his youngest son head for the stairs in the same fashion as his older brother. "What in the hell is going on?"
Johnny headed straight for his room and barged in, certain he would find his brother hiding and moving his things around. The room was empty and nothing had been touched since he had left it just a few minutes ago. Confused, Johnny backed out of the room and backed straight into his brother, almost scaring him out of his boots.
"Geez, Scott! What are you doing lurkin' around up here? Damn near scared me to death," Johnny admonished his brother.
"I could ask you the same. Where have you been John?" Scott demanded, eyeing Johnny suspiciously.
"I was in the barn checkin' on Barranca. You didn't answer my question Brother," Johnny retorted, jabbing Scott in the chest with an accusatory finger.
"If it's any of your business I was looking for my book." Scott raised his empty hand, palm up.
Johnny smirked at the fact that there was nothing in Scott's hand. "You lose your book there, Boston?"
"No, I didn't lose the book, I simply changed my mind. I thought a game of chess with my baby brother would be more stimulating." Scott smirked; using the term baby brother had the effect he was hoping for.
"I ain't no baby," Johnny grumbled.
Scott ignored the reply and with his hand moving in a sweeping motion towards the stairs, he said, "Shall we?"
Johnny stood for a second longer glaring at Scott wanting to wipe that smirk off his face but he turned towards the stairs without saying a word and preceded him down the stairs.
As the boys walked into the room, Murdoch looked up from his paper and asked. "Have you two finished with your game of Hide and Seek?"
Confused by their father's sarcastic question both sons mumbled answers that were really not meant to be heard.
For the next hour Scott and Johnny played a game of chess. Scott sat on the edge of the couch while Johnny sat opposite on the floor with the board sitting between them on the table.
Ensconced in a wing back chair, Teresa and mended one pair of white socks after another fussing about how a certain Lancer son seemed to always come up with holes in them. Murdoch was seated in his favorite chair enjoying his pipe while watching his sons compete against each other. Jelly was working on repairing tack that had become worn, smiling as he observed Scott and Johnny. He noticed that when one was studying the board the other was studying his brother. Something was going on between the two young men he was sure of it.
Scott seemed to be taking an unusual amount of time making his next move. "You gonna' make a move tonight or what?" Johnny snapped.
"I'm carefully considering my options, if you don't mind, so please don't rush me." Scott patiently replied.
A minute later Johnny once again complained. "Scott, I'm growing roots here. Will you move for Pete's sake!"
Murdoch could see that an argument was about to erupt prompting him to step in to defuse it quickly before heated words were exchanged.
"Boys, time for bed."
"Why?" Johnny looked at the clock noting it was only a few minutes before eight. "It's still early and we ain't finished our game thanks to Scott taking forever to make each move."
"Now wait a minute. Just because I don't toss my men around the board like you doesn't make it my fault." Scott protested.
"Boys! I said it's time to go to bed and I don't want to hear another word. You're both so tired you're fussing like small children," Murdoch chastised.
Johnny and Scott glared at each other for another few seconds, finally Scott, who was always the diplomat, looked away first and apologized to his father and Teresa.
"I'm sorry for being so disagreeable. Perhaps you're right. I'm feeling tired and bed sounds inviting. Good night, everyone." Scott rose and quietly made his way to the stairs.
Johnny reached for the case that housed the chess set and began putting the game away when his father reached out and touched his shoulder speaking softly but firmly. "Go on to bed, Johnny. I'll put away the chess set."
Johnny stood up saying. "Yes, Sir. Goodnight Teresa, Murdoch." He yawned as he walked away without another word.
"Something is going on with those two," Murdoch said as he finished putting away the chess game.
"I've noticed they both seem to be acting out of character. Johnny asked me today if anyone had been in his room. Then tonight he picked up his plate and glass without being asked." Teresa said as she folded the last pair of socks.
"Maybe after they get a good night's rest their attitudes will improve." Murdoch said. "I think we should all go to bed. Good night, Darling."
"Good night. I'll see you in the morning." Teresa leaned down as she passed her guardian's chair and kissed him on the cheek.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Upstairs, Scott sat by his window staring out into the dark, his book lying unopened in his lap. He got up after a while and began inspecting everything in the room, memorizing each item and their placement. He couldn't prove anything because the changes had been so subtle. Well, Little Brother, you will have to be extremely clever from here on because I'm going to be right on your butt.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Johnny stood and stared at the brush and comb sitting on his dresser. He was impressed with Scott. It still made him wonder just how his brother had managed to get into his room in order to play his little trick. Both of them had ridden out at the same time and he had returned long before Scott that evening. In fact, he remembered that Scott had been a huge hurry because he was so late. He didn't think that his brother had ridden back just to play a trick on him since it would have taken too much time. Maybe it wasn't Scott. Still who else would want to play tricks on him? It just had to be Scott.
Finally, Johnny decided to turn in. He was tired but wouldn't admit it to anyone. He had been so mad that he had taken his frustration out on the work hoping to be in a better mood when he got home. It had worked until he discovered his things had been moved around.
Stripping, Johnny slipped between the sheets and tried to relax. Sighing softly a few minutes later, he got up and put the hated nightshirt on. It was an ongoing battle between him and Murdoch, who insisted he wear the irritating garment during the cooler months of the year.
If it was just his father who was so adamant about wearing the stupid thing he could have waged a better battle but Maria and Sam were always on his case with the excuse he was susceptible to colds. Maybe he was but wearing that damn nightshirt wasn't gonna' make any difference as far as he was concerned. Once he was properly attired for bed, Johnny climbed back between the covers and settled down.
He was on the edge of slipping off to sleep when he thought he heard the laughter of a child. He was too far gone to want to do anything about it and decided that it was probably Scott trying to make him think some spirit was messing around in his room. His last thought before falling into the deep dream stage was he would get back at his brother if it was the last thing he ever did.
~*~ L~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
For three days Murdoch watched his son's as their behavior seemed to become more and more bizarre. It seemed that when one brother was out of the sight of the other the game of chase would commence. It was taking a toll on them physically as well as mentally. They both looked as if they weren't getting any sleep and during breakfast more coffee was being consumed than food.
Murdoch was at his wit's end wondering what to do about them. All his talking and often yelling was having no effect at all. He had just about decided that he was going to have to follow up on that threat of taking both boys to the barn and have a more aggressive discussion on their behavior.
Thus far all he had managed to do was send them to bed like cranky children when he saw them squaring off with each other. He knew a lot of their problem was they were fatigued but the extra time in bed didn't seem to be having any kind of effect on them. It seemed each day they grew more tired and frustrated.
Murdoch had not really planned to make nightly visits to his boy's rooms when they had come home to Lancer but with Johnny being shot he had started checking on him to be sure he was resting ok. It soon became a habit and had extended to Scott as well. He enjoyed checking on his sons and watching them sleep. Often he would find himself beside their bed unable to resist pulling their covers up and tucking them in. He had been denied that privilege when they were babies growing up and as long as there was no fuss from them he intended to continue.
Entering their rooms, Murdoch had expected to find them suffering from bad dreams or in the throes of restless sleep but both seemed to be slumbering peacefully. He was stumped as to why they were so tired every morning.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Just when Murdoch was about to take his sons to task for their behavior, things calmed down and it seemed that they had settled the problem between them. Once again peace seemed to settle over the hacienda and the days were pretty much back to normal. For the next several days the boys were laughing and teasing each other as if nothing had happened.
The boys hadn't found any more strange occurrences happening in their rooms and Johnny hadn't heard the laughter late at night for several days. He assumed Scott had grown weary of his little joke and had given up on it.
Scott had figured the same. He knew that Johnny probably had grown tired and was plotting his next caper against another unsuspecting victim. This close to Halloween more than likely it was going to be Jelly. Johnny had played some pretty elaborate pranks on the beloved handy man and it had almost been the undoing of both Jelly and Johnny once Murdoch had gotten his hands on the boy.
He was glad that things were getting back to normal. He had missed the teasing over the chess games and the pleasant conversations at the evening meals. He had been Johnny's victim before but never had it been so vindictive. It was also unusual for Johnny to retaliate this long over something like losing an argument with his brother.
Unfortunately it didn't last very long. Johnny walked in to his room and immediately he noticed things were not right. He spotted the drawer to his bedside table open. He walked over and there among the handkerchiefs, which Maria insisted he keep, was his brush and comb.
He knew that Maria and Teresa would never put them there because they knew he liked his things kept in their place. It wasn't their style to be playing games anyway. The only answer he could come up with was it had to be Boston starting up again. The question was why. He couldn't understand why Scott was rekindling their feud, but one thing he was sure of, his sneaky brother was going to slip up and Johnny was going to catch him in the act.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Scott stripped off his shirt and began soaping a rag to wash up. It had been unusually warm today and all he wanted to do was wash away the dirt and the sweat from his body. He would liked to have had a proper bath but there was no time before dinner so he would have to just settle for sponging off. He had just scrubbed his face and was reaching for a towel when he noticed it. The bottles of cologne had been totally rearranged on the dresser.
Scott wasn't such a fanatic that he expected everything to be just as he left it but he had bottles of cologne that cost more and used them on those really special occasions when he was trying to impress a certain young lady who might have caught his fancy. The less expensive bottles he kept in the front because they were used more.
He stopped and looked around the room and noticed that some of his personal things that he treasured had also been moved. The picture of him and Johnny was now sitting on the bedside table instead of the small round table by the chair. He had been reading a book and had left it by the bed and now it was lying on the floor next to the wardrobe. Johnny, he thought. Only why would his little brother start this nonsense all over again. The boy rarely held a grudge and it was totally out of character for him to keep up this type of prank.
Scott was angry and determined not to be a victim any longer. He was going to catch Johnny in the act, and then haul his sorry butt to their father and let Murdoch deal with his youngest son's shenanigans.
Quickly, Scott finished cleaning up and grabbed a shirt on his way out the door. As he stood outside in the hallway he glared at his brother's closed door while he finished buttoning his shirt. He was tempted to barge in and confront the boy but he just didn't feel like fighting before dinner. There would be plenty of time to deal with Johnny later.
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Murdoch watched his two sons as they ate their supper. Both boys seemed lost in their own world and the only conversation was when Murdoch asked for reports on the work that had been assigned that day. Teresa tried to engage the boys in small talk but they only gave one or two word answers and after awhile she too gave up and ate the rest of her meal in silence.
Murdoch noticed the glaring had resumed as well. They had locked eyes and seemed to be in a starring contest, neither willing to give in. He sighed as he realized that they were once again feuding and he wasn't going to tolerate anymore.
After the meal was over and Teresa had left for the kitchen with a load of dishes, Murdoch ordered his boys to join him in the Great Room. When they both sat and glared at each other instead of getting up he bellowed. "Now!"
Reluctantly they followed their father knowing that he was about to chew their ears. Hopefully that was all he was going to chew.
Pointing to the couch Murdoch said, "Sit!" Both boys sat down keeping a good distance between them.
"I don't have any idea what is going on between you two but it stops now. I'm not going to go through this again. Whatever the problem is, fix it. Do I make myself clear?" Murdoch didn't yell but he put it in a way that was clear that he was not going to tolerate any more of their foolishness.
Scott looked at his father and simply said, "Understood, Sir."
Johnny mumbled , "Yes, Sir."
"If you will excuse me I think I will retire to my room and read. I'll see you in the morning." Scott stood and left the room.
Johnny sat for a moment pouting but suddenly jumped up and announced, "I'm tired. Think I'm gonna' go to bed too. Night, Pa." He excused himself and ran after his brother.
Not sure he had actually gotten through, Murdoch went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a generous amount of Glenlivet and took a generous swallow thinking to himself. I'm getting too old for this crap!
~*~ L ~*~ A ~*~ N ~*~ C ~*~ E ~*~ R ~*~
Johnny was up early, dressed and ready to go downstairs, which was unusual since it usually took a second threat from his father to get him out of bed and ready for breakfast. He waited until he heard his brother's door open and felt it would be safe to make his way down to breakfast. He wasn't about to leave his room until he knew Scott was on his way downstairs. No way was he going to leave his sneaky brother up here alone so he could pull some more of his pranks.
When he opened his door he practically ran right into Scott. He was surprised to find his brother leaning against the wall opposite his door waiting for him. "I see you're ready for breakfast on time for a change, Little Brother."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Johnny asked sarcastically.
"I would have thought maybe you might need a little extra rest with all the childish pranks you've been pulling lately," Scott accused his brother.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Johnny asked, angry at Scott for talking in riddles.
"I'm talking about all the sneaky plotting and planning you've been doing and your childish antics," Scott snapped, his own temper rising.
"My childish antics? Why you…." Johnny lunged at his brother only to be brought up short when a huge hand caught him by the collar and hauled him back.
Murdoch still had Johnny by the collar as he headed downstairs dragging his youngest with him. Once down stairs, he pushed the boy down into his chair none too lightly. He indicated with his head for Scott to find his own chair and sit.
He poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting himself and took small sips. He never said a word but the boys knew better than to continue their argument. Breakfast was eaten in tense silence. It wasn't until everyone had eaten their fill that Murdoch finally spoke, then only to give the boys their chore list for the day.
As soon as his father assigned him his work for the day, Johnny got up and left to hitch the wagon and load it with the tools that would be needed for him and Eduardo to use mending the east fence line. He was glad that he and Scott were going to be working on opposite ends of the ranch. He knew that if his brother opened his mouth one more time he was probably going to put his fist in the middle of his face. He took up the reigns and as fast he dared he headed out to the work site leaving Scott and his frustrations behind.