Ten Little Indians
Cluedo:
Blore and Lombard were still outside waiting for Dr. Armstrong to return. It was clear a search had to be done of the island. They wanted to rope in the Doctor as well. There was one thing on their minds that had them both puzzled. That entailed the two deaths on the island.
Just then the General walked by them...
"Looks like you in an exploring mood today, General," Said Lombard dryly, "Were off to explore the island."
"Quite the adventurer you are," Replied General MacArthur almost in a trance, "There is so little time...so little time, I really must insist nobody disturbs me."
"We won't disturb you," Replied Blore, "We were just wondering if you may know of anyone hiding on the island so to speak."
"You don't understand," Replied the General once again trance-like, "Please leave me alone...in peace."
With that, he was off.
"There's one who's going balmy," Snickered Blore to Lombard.
Just then the Doctor exited once more. He saw the Judge reading the newspaper, then he saw Blore and Lombard coming around the corner. He wanted to speak to an articulate mind. He was well aware of the Judge's masterful intelligence, but he also had a feeble elderliness about him. He decided to speak with the latter...
"So Doctor," Asked Lombard, "What did Rogers have to say?"
"Oh not much," Replied Armstrong looking away a little, "Just a couple of disappearing statues in the parlor."
He paused for a minute.
"I had a little bit of a chat with him on the death of the old lady in their care; Miss Brady."
"Go on" Said Blore, keen on the subject.
"I found his answer very enlightening. Turns out Miss Brady had been suffering from a form of a cardiac trouble. When a person has cardiac attack, amyl nitrate is inhaled to save them. Supposing amyl nitrate was withheld...the result could be fatal."
"And as easy as that!" Replied Lombard, "It must have been rather tempting..."
"Of course this all leads back to the crimes against us," Reminded Blore.
"Yes indeed," Lombard concurred, "Suppose the Rogeres committed a indirect murder the law cannot touch. Take Wargrave for example, he committed murder within the law!"
Armstrong tried to quiet Lombard down a little as the Judge was sitting close by. Then he made a motion to move somewhere else. So they circled around and ended up in the yard behind the house.
"You don't really believe that story do you?" Asked Armstrong in a whisper, as they walked.
"Oh I believe it alright!" Confirmed Lombard, "He certainly murdered Edward Seton no question about it! But he was clever to do it from the Judge's seat in a wig and gown!"
"I just don't see where this is getting us though!" Burst in Blore confused.
"Well let's go back to the deaths." Suggested Armstrong, "Perhaps Rogers snuffed his wife out because she would have given the show away. Or she may have felt so much guilt she took the easy way out!"
"But if it was suicide or perhaps an act from her husband, what about Marston? Asked Lombard, "I don't believe Rogers would have killed him for a second! And don't tell me that a young bull like Anthony Marston with no nerves or brains would go poisoning himself because he felt remorse after mowing down two kids with his car! What kind of poison did you suspect anyway?"
"Potassium Cyanide," Replied Dr. Armstrong, "I'm almost sure of it!"
"Not something I would be carrying back and forth in my coat," Rationalized Blore.
"Well this cyanide needs explaining then!" Insisted Lombard, thinking hard, "Well in that case, either Marston came to the Island carrying cyanide as he planned to do himself in, therefore came prepared..or..."
"Or else?" Asked Dr. Armstrong.
"Why make me say it when it's on the tip of your tongue," Lombard replied, grinning menacingly, "Anthony Marston was murdered of course....."
Cluedo:
The three men began their search of Indian Island. The island itself was not much to search. It was more or less a bare rock and it was actually rather small in fact. There were a couple of trees that provided only a little cover in the yard. Their search eventually had taken them to the northeast cliffs of the island. Blore and Lombard scrambled up to the very top to get a good look, while Armstrong waited closely below...
"Nothing!" Bellowed Blore, "Not a soul here!"
"No motorboat either," Added Lombard, looking out to sea, "I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever come. Perhaps, it's been instructed not to. Not until the lunatic Mr. Owen has finished off everybody!"
"I don't know how he could possibly kill us all," Thought Blore, thinking hard.
"That's true Blore," Agreed Lombard, "Before none of us were on guard, but now..."
"But now! We can protect ourselves!" Declared Blore, "I don't suppose anybody has a revolver or anything like that?"
"I do," Admitted Lombard, flashing the revolver in his pocket.
"Always carry that thing with you?" Asked Blore, looking bewildered.
"Habit of mine," Replied Lombard, "Especially when I'm in tight places....and now you know what I've been thinking?"
He looked down to Dr. Armstrong who was scanning the area.
"Hey Armstrong," He called, "What was it that Rogers said!? About the statues?"
"What's that?" Asked Armstrong, "The statues? Oh...he said two were missing."
"Queer it is, isn't it?" Blore remarked.
Dr. Armstrong recited:
"Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight."
Lombard lit himself a cigarette.
"Fits too damned well to be a coincidence! Anthony Marston dies after a choking fit last night! Mother Rogers oversleeps herself with a vengeance!"
"And therefore?" Said Armstrong.
"Therefore we have one Unknown lunatic at large!" Burst Lombard, "Were going to find the man no matter what!"
"He'll be dangerous." Reminded Blore.
"I'll be dangerous when I get hold of him!" Retorted Lombard.
"There's one thing we haven't considered," Reminded Armstrong, "What if this Mr. Owen is in the house?"
Blore and Lombard stared back at Armstrong as though he just struck something genious.
Cluedo:
Vera Claythorne had been wandering the island herself, but not because she too was searching for Owen...she had been trying to avoid Miss Brent since their talk earlier. She couldn't think of Emily without getting the shudders. It wasn't long before she found herself walking down to a quiet little beach where she saw General MacArthur staring trance-like out at sea as the waves rolled in....
As she approached, the General turned around to face her which was rather unexpected.
"How queer!" Thought Vera, "It's almost as though he knew!"
"Ah it's you," Said the General quietly, "You've come..."
"Nice peaceful spot you found for yourself General," Noted Vera.
"Yes," Replied General MacArthur, "Pleasant little spot. It's a good place I think to wait..."
"To wait?" Asked Vera sharply, "What are you waiting for?"
"The end." Replied the General, "I think you knew that don't you? That is what were waiting for isn't it?"
"I...I don't know what your talking about," Vera admitted unsteadily.
MacArthur's response was a grave one,
"None of us are going to leave the island. That is the plan. You know it perfectly. What you may not quite realize is the relief."
"The relief?"
"Yes, well of course you are a pretty, young thing. You haven't got to that yet. But you will soon see...and await the day where you no longer have to carry the burden...."
"I..I don't understand!" Vera replied, getting more and more afraid of the old soldier.
"You see I loved Leslie...I loved her so much..."
"Was Leslie you wife?" Asked Vera in wonder.
"Yes," Answered the General softly, "She was. She was so pretty...so lively...so gay...and I loved her. That's why I did it."
"You mean..."
"Yes, It's not good denying it now," Confessed MacArthur almost in a whisper, "Not when were all going to die. I sent Arthur Richmond to his death..."
"I suppose in a way it was murder," He continued, "Funny thing...murder. I've always been such a law-abiding man! But it didn't seem like that at the time. "Served him damned right!" That's what I thought, But now..."
"And afterward?" Vera urged him on in a hard voice.
"Afterward, I don't know." Answered the General, "I just don't know. It seemed like Leslie never figured out what really happened....But I didn't know her anymore after that. She gone far away to somewhere where I couldn't reach her, and then she died....and I was alone..."
His voice seemed to echo amongst the cliffs...
"Alone..alone..alone...."
"You'll be glad too when the end comes, my dear."
Vera turned to him suddenly.
"I don't know what you mean!" She answered sharply.
"I know, my child, I know..."
"No, you don't know!" Burst Vera, frantically, "You don't understand at all!"
He almost didn't realize she was leaving behind him, his conscience had returned to the sea...
"Leslie...?" He softly called out.
Cluedo:
Judge Wargrave was still sitting on the front terrace reading his newspaper. It was all old news from yesterday, so not much in it for him. There was hardly any mention of Indian Island in the papers. But why should there? His mind was wandering to what the trio were talking about Edward Seton earlier. Not that it mattered much now, afterall...
"I cooked Seton's goose alright!" Thought the Judge, almost with a smile.
Then his mind wandering to something different altogether. What was it the General said earlier?
"Ah yes," Though Wargrave, "He said none of us would leave the island!"
He got up, and left....
Meanwhile, the three explorers had now conducted their searches within the house...but the results have been fruitless.
"Well now," Said Blore, "We've search high and low all over the house. Maybe there is a hidden room!"
"Unlikely," Replied Lombard, "This is a modern house. Not one of those old creaky manors. I doubt there would be any hidden passage or concealment."
"Wait," Blore said suddenly, "Where does that door lead to?"
"The servants room," Answered Dr. Armstrong.
They listened....they could hear feet moving around inside......
"Aha!" Declared Blore in a rapid whisper, "Of course Mr. Owen would be hiding in there! Nobody would suspect he would be in that room after what happened!"
"Now," Commanded Lombard, "As quietly as you can..."
The three men stealthily approached the door...they could hear a creak on the floorboards inside.
"Now!" Ordered Blore.
They flung the door opened and stopped dead.
Rogers stood meekly in the center of the room.
"Oh!" Rogers cried in suprised, "I..I was just moving some of my wife's things..."
"Err...sorry about that Rogers," Replied Blore turning red with embarrassment.
"May I go sir?" Asked Rogers politely.
"Yes, yes get on with it," Answered back Dr. Armstrong.
Rogers quickly scurried out of the room.
Blore was looking at the body of Mrs. Rogers on the bed. It was such an unnervingly peaceful face. There was no fear or pain in her any longer. Just emptiness.
"Let's get finished," He ordered turning to the other two, "I'm starting to get a bad feeling that were not going to find anything."
And sure enough they soon discovered he was right. There was no one on the island but the eight of themselves.
Cluedo:
The gong had sounded for luncheon. At least, what Rogers could make of it. It was mostly cold ham and tongue, some boiled potatoes, and a few biscuits with cheese.
"I did the best I could with lunch," Reported Rogers as they sat down, "I will go fetch your meals."
He turned and entered the Kitchen as the guests began to sit down.
Dr. Armstrong, William Blore and Philip Lombard entered and sat down as well.
"Well you men had an active morning," Said Judge Wargrave to them with a faint sound of malicious pleasure in his voice.
"Is everyone present?" Asked Emily Brent, raising a eyebrow, "Where's the General?"
"I spoke with him down by the sea," Answered Vera Claythorne, "He must have not have heard the gong. He was a little "vague" today."
Rogers reentered with some plates.
"I will go down and inform him luncheon is ready."
Dr. Armstrong got up from his seat.
"I'll go," He said to Rogers, "You can attend to lunch and the others may start without me."
He quickly left the room.
As he made his way outside, he followed a little path that led down to the beach, he had to scramble over some rocks to get down to the beach, but in the end, the reason as to why General MacArthur never arrived was quite clear.....
...he was as dead as a rock.
Back in the Dining Room, everyone was discussing the weather...
"The sea is becoming quite strong," Noted Emily Brent, "And there are white-horses on the waves."
The wind was presently picking up outside...
"There's a storm coming," Said Vera shivering.
"Yes, there was that old man in Sticklehaven who said that there was one due to arrive," Added Blore, "Funny how these old salts know."
Roger suddenly stopped in the middle of his duties.
"Somebody's running!" He said almost scared.
Everybody got up from seats and entered the hall, just as Dr. Armstrong was coming in through the front door.
"General MacArthur....!" He cried.
"DEAD!" Burst Vera, unexpectedly.
"Yes..." Whimpered Armstrong, wiping his forehead, "He's dead."
The was a pause...and long pause. Seven remaining people cast their eyes around the room, with not a single word to say.
As the other men went off to look at the body, Rogers scurried over to the Parlor, his face turning pale. He found Vera Claythorne standing over by the fireplace, clearly startling each other.
"Oh Miss!" He cried, "I just came to see..."
"You are quite right Rogers," Said Vera in a loud, harsh voice, "There are only seven...."
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