"You won't get away with this. Lots of people know that we're here." Sam
Marston tilted her chin up and level a gaze of scornful contempt at her
disagreeable host. "Why don't you -"
"You talk too much. It's aggravating." Cal Torken stopped counting bullets long enough to answer her. "I don't like aggravating women."
"Well, isn't that just too bad." Sam winced. As defiant rebuttal, it lacked a certain something even to her ears. She rushed on. "Elliott has lots of friends in the army. He can have you put away just like that." The sharp snap of her fingers made Molly Torken jump slightly in her chair.
"He won't have them for long." Apparently satisfied with his total, Torken scooped up handfuls of ammunition and replaced it in its cardboard box. "Cause they're likely to get riled when they find him with a dead body again. Yeah, old Elliott's gonna get caught with the late Major Ashley- Pitt lying in a heap on the floor. And there'll be a witness when he makes a run for it."
"You seem to know a great deal about it." Sam eyed him with a wary respect.
Torken set his loaded gun on the table in front of him and leaned back in his chair. He could have been discussing the weather, so informal was his manner. "That's what he did when they found that old relict who poked his nose into too many corners. He'll come back here and I'll be waiting. The witness will follow him all the way. He can tell the police and the army that Elliott was a dangerous man. I'll have no choice when I shoot him."
"And what are you going to do about Melvin Collins?" Sam folded her arms over her chest and tried to emulate the other's nonchalance.
Uncertainty rippled across the smooth flatness of Torken's face. "I'll.have to see." He reached over and twitched a corner of the curtain aside to peer out the window. "He's taking his sweet time."
Sam closed her eyes and tried to think. A thousand ideas flitted through her mind like ghosts. None of them took on any substance before they disappeared into the misty recesses again. She was ready to weep with frustration.
Torken ignored her. "Hard to believe it's almost over now. For over a year I've been doing nothing else but pushing and waiting. Now it's almost done." His voice dripped with complacency.
She forced herself to look at him. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Had no choice. Wouldn't have had to do anything if my mother hadn't started getting funny ideas when she got sick. Started worrying over religion and stuff." He spat the word out with contempt. "Then she told Molly here and I couldn't take any chances. And there were some other things too. Elliott's forgotten how much he owes my family. My father got him started by loaning him the money for his ranch."
"You mean he returned the money you stole." Sam couldn't help herself.
Torken's eye had a mean glitter. "I told you before, you talk too much. Now sit over there so's you're out of the way." He gestured to the sofa where Niall Flanagan sat.
Sam walked over and sat down beside her brother. He scooted over until he was pressed against her side, his hand searching for and clasping hers tightly. She smiled reassuringly at him. He leaned over and whispered so quietly that she had to put her ear to his mouth to hear him. "Will Elliott get here in time?"
She squeezed his hand once. "Yes, he will."
The silence that fell was not unwelcome to any of the room's occupants. Torken resumed staring out the window. Molly poured another cup of tea, now tepid and filmy. Brother and sister took what comfort they could from their proximity.
Just when the stillness was becoming oppressive, the sound of several horses could be heard from the road. They were cantering at a steady pace that suggested more than a quiet jaunt was taking place. Torken reached for the curtain just as the noise reached its height outside the window. Suddenly it stopped. The sound of muted voices floated through the window, then the front gate squeaked open. Footsteps crunched up the path to the front door.
Torken wrenched back the curtain and poked his head out the window. "Who's there?"
"Torken? It's me, Ashley-Pitt." The voice sounded unnaturally high and hoarse. "Is Mrs. Elliott Marston there?"
Torken looked back over his shoulder at Sam, as if to check that she was still in the room. "Yeah, she's here. So what?"
"Well, if you want to conduct this business in public, I've no objection." Sarcasm coated the major's words. "I have to talk to her. I have some bad news."
Torken examined Sam once more. He chewed his lower lip for a moment. Finally he leaned out the window again. "Okay, we'll be right down." He stepped back into the room and gestured with his gun. "Let's go downstairs. But remember I've got this."
Sam nodded and rose from her seat. Niall grabbed at her hand but she shook her head warningly. He subsided reluctantly.
It took longer than necessary to negotiate the steps. Torken kept the barrel of his gun against her back all the way down. In the front hall he kept her carefully in front of him. He pulled open the door and stepped behind her again with a quick motion.
Ashley-Pitt walked into the hall and screwed his monocle firmly into place. "Thank you. It's too hot to yell in the dusty street like that." He examined Sam through the glass with an exaggerated eye. "Mrs. Marston? I have some bad news for you."
Sam cleared her throat and prayed she sounded normal. "What is it, sir?"
"Your husband is dead, madam." The major frowned grimly. "He tried to kill me. Another man who had an appointment with me saw him come up behind me and pull out his gun. He got between us and your husband shot him. By that time I had my revolver out and I killed your husband. I've come to break the news personally to you."
"Oh my God!" For a moment blackness threatened to overwhelm her. Bile rose in her throat as she sought her voice again.
"You have my sincere condolences, Mrs. Marston. Despite everything." The major coughed. "And now I will have to ask you and your brother to come with me. You are under arrest as an accomplice and he is wanted as a witness."
"You talk too much. It's aggravating." Cal Torken stopped counting bullets long enough to answer her. "I don't like aggravating women."
"Well, isn't that just too bad." Sam winced. As defiant rebuttal, it lacked a certain something even to her ears. She rushed on. "Elliott has lots of friends in the army. He can have you put away just like that." The sharp snap of her fingers made Molly Torken jump slightly in her chair.
"He won't have them for long." Apparently satisfied with his total, Torken scooped up handfuls of ammunition and replaced it in its cardboard box. "Cause they're likely to get riled when they find him with a dead body again. Yeah, old Elliott's gonna get caught with the late Major Ashley- Pitt lying in a heap on the floor. And there'll be a witness when he makes a run for it."
"You seem to know a great deal about it." Sam eyed him with a wary respect.
Torken set his loaded gun on the table in front of him and leaned back in his chair. He could have been discussing the weather, so informal was his manner. "That's what he did when they found that old relict who poked his nose into too many corners. He'll come back here and I'll be waiting. The witness will follow him all the way. He can tell the police and the army that Elliott was a dangerous man. I'll have no choice when I shoot him."
"And what are you going to do about Melvin Collins?" Sam folded her arms over her chest and tried to emulate the other's nonchalance.
Uncertainty rippled across the smooth flatness of Torken's face. "I'll.have to see." He reached over and twitched a corner of the curtain aside to peer out the window. "He's taking his sweet time."
Sam closed her eyes and tried to think. A thousand ideas flitted through her mind like ghosts. None of them took on any substance before they disappeared into the misty recesses again. She was ready to weep with frustration.
Torken ignored her. "Hard to believe it's almost over now. For over a year I've been doing nothing else but pushing and waiting. Now it's almost done." His voice dripped with complacency.
She forced herself to look at him. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Had no choice. Wouldn't have had to do anything if my mother hadn't started getting funny ideas when she got sick. Started worrying over religion and stuff." He spat the word out with contempt. "Then she told Molly here and I couldn't take any chances. And there were some other things too. Elliott's forgotten how much he owes my family. My father got him started by loaning him the money for his ranch."
"You mean he returned the money you stole." Sam couldn't help herself.
Torken's eye had a mean glitter. "I told you before, you talk too much. Now sit over there so's you're out of the way." He gestured to the sofa where Niall Flanagan sat.
Sam walked over and sat down beside her brother. He scooted over until he was pressed against her side, his hand searching for and clasping hers tightly. She smiled reassuringly at him. He leaned over and whispered so quietly that she had to put her ear to his mouth to hear him. "Will Elliott get here in time?"
She squeezed his hand once. "Yes, he will."
The silence that fell was not unwelcome to any of the room's occupants. Torken resumed staring out the window. Molly poured another cup of tea, now tepid and filmy. Brother and sister took what comfort they could from their proximity.
Just when the stillness was becoming oppressive, the sound of several horses could be heard from the road. They were cantering at a steady pace that suggested more than a quiet jaunt was taking place. Torken reached for the curtain just as the noise reached its height outside the window. Suddenly it stopped. The sound of muted voices floated through the window, then the front gate squeaked open. Footsteps crunched up the path to the front door.
Torken wrenched back the curtain and poked his head out the window. "Who's there?"
"Torken? It's me, Ashley-Pitt." The voice sounded unnaturally high and hoarse. "Is Mrs. Elliott Marston there?"
Torken looked back over his shoulder at Sam, as if to check that she was still in the room. "Yeah, she's here. So what?"
"Well, if you want to conduct this business in public, I've no objection." Sarcasm coated the major's words. "I have to talk to her. I have some bad news."
Torken examined Sam once more. He chewed his lower lip for a moment. Finally he leaned out the window again. "Okay, we'll be right down." He stepped back into the room and gestured with his gun. "Let's go downstairs. But remember I've got this."
Sam nodded and rose from her seat. Niall grabbed at her hand but she shook her head warningly. He subsided reluctantly.
It took longer than necessary to negotiate the steps. Torken kept the barrel of his gun against her back all the way down. In the front hall he kept her carefully in front of him. He pulled open the door and stepped behind her again with a quick motion.
Ashley-Pitt walked into the hall and screwed his monocle firmly into place. "Thank you. It's too hot to yell in the dusty street like that." He examined Sam through the glass with an exaggerated eye. "Mrs. Marston? I have some bad news for you."
Sam cleared her throat and prayed she sounded normal. "What is it, sir?"
"Your husband is dead, madam." The major frowned grimly. "He tried to kill me. Another man who had an appointment with me saw him come up behind me and pull out his gun. He got between us and your husband shot him. By that time I had my revolver out and I killed your husband. I've come to break the news personally to you."
"Oh my God!" For a moment blackness threatened to overwhelm her. Bile rose in her throat as she sought her voice again.
"You have my sincere condolences, Mrs. Marston. Despite everything." The major coughed. "And now I will have to ask you and your brother to come with me. You are under arrest as an accomplice and he is wanted as a witness."