Ten Little Indians
Cluedo:
The sun was shining high in the air once again in the early morning wake. The storm that raged the nights before was a thing of the past. The air was clear and warm, though it was not enough to dispel the bated tension that covered Indian Island. Blore and Lombard were outside on the cliffs. Their mind set to their single task of finding Dr. Armstrong, while Vera stayed secure and locked in her room.
“He’s got to be here, he just has to!” Insisted Blore.
“Dr. Armstrong seems to be quite the quick one, though he is still a considerably weak man. If we spot him, we will catch him in no time,” Reassured Lombard, “Though at the moment, he is simply giving us the chase.”
“But if he spots us, he will try and kill us, you understand that?” Said Blore.
“Oh he won’t kill us, I’ll see to that,” Replied Lombard patting the pocket where his revolver resided.
That was when Blore suddenly perked up.
“Wait a minute Lombard!” He declared, “What if Armstrong has gone back inside?”
No sooner when they returned to the house did they find Vera waiting for them.
“I thought we told you to stayed locked in your room Miss Claythorne…” Reminded Blore.
“I was watching you both from the window when I thought I heard footsteps…” Vera whimpered, “When they got faint I took the chance and left so I could find you both. But then I discovered something else. A window in the Dining Room has been smashed…and there are only three Indian statuettes on the mantle….”
Cluedo:
The house was searched high and low. Every single room was searched throughly. They even searched the victim's rooms. A quick pull back of the bed sheet to satisfy that it wasn't Armstrong masquerading as a body. However, their search for Dr. Armstrong went just as unsuccessful as their original search for Mr. Owen. The verdict was quite clear.....Dr. Armstrong had disapeared.
The three of them sat at the dining room table eating a small portion of bull tongue with butter each. It was practically all the food they had left in the house. However, the meal itself was peaceful. They felt like people who had just awakened from a nightmare. The paralyzing atmosphere of fear from the night before was gone.
"I've had enough of sitting around encased in paranoia," Declared Lombard, "Today we are going to try and save ourselves! We shall light a bonfire and use smoke signals to get attention from the mainland."
"Surely somebody on the mainland should recognize S.O.S.," Agreed Blore, "I think we ought to give it a go."
Only Vera still seemed perturbed.
"That's all fine and well. Anything would be better than staying a night in this place, but where is Armstrong?"
"Judging from the Indians, I'd say Dr. Armstrong has met his demise," Figured Lombard.
"But why then couldn't find his body?" Asked Blore, "Was it thrown in the sea?"
"By who?" Asked Lombard, "You? Me? Vera? You saw him go out the door, and then came to find me and we went to to search for the body. When the devil did I have time to kill him and carry his body around the island!?"
Suddenly, Vera spoke,
"Don't you remember the Nursery rhyme?
Four little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
A red herring! That's the vital clue! Armstrong is not dead! He only removed the Indian to make us think he is dead!"
"Rather a dead giveaway don't you think?" Said Blore, "Actually mentioning a red herring in the verse. Rather giving himself away isn't he?"
"Don't you see!?" Cried Vera, "He's mad! It's all mad! Killing everyone according to the rhyme is mad! Dressing up the Judge in a wig and cape, killing Rogers when he was chopping sticks, overdosing Mrs. Rogers so that she would oversleep herself, arranging for bumblebees to sting Miss Brent when he killed her! It's like some horrible child playing a game. It's all got to fit in."
"Well as for the next verse," Chimed in Lombard, "Three little Indian boys walking in a Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two."
"Well at any rate there's no Zoo on the Island," Noted Blore, "He will probably have a bit of trouble getting over that."
"Don't you see!?" Vera cried again, "We're the Zoo! Last night we were hardly human anymore! We're the Zoo..."
Astral Faery:
Ooh - chilling...creepy. Awesome update! I can't wait for more. Will anyone make it out alive? DON'T answer that, lol, I want to read the story. Great job. I'm glad you brought this story to the forum, even though I seem to be the only dork that's never read it!:happy8:
Cluedo:
Well this is one way to get acquainted with the story. Plus it would be boring if everybody knew the ending. I like to keep at least one person in suspense!
___________________________________________
They spent the rest of the morning on the cliffs. They gathered the last of the firewood Rogers had chopped and put it in a pile to light a fire. The sky was clear, though there was no sign that anybody saw their signal. There were no boats out on the water. There was also no signs of the missing physician.
"There we are!" Declared Blore, "A nice fire. We will keep adding to it and then we shall get some smoke in no time!"
"One feels safer out here in the open," Remarked Vera, "Let's not go back to the house."
"Not a bad idea," Agreed Lombard, " We will see him before he can get to us."
"We have to go back sometime," Said Blore, "Where will we sleep if we are still here by nighttime?"
"I can't bear it!" Cried Vera, "I can't bear to go another night!"
"You would be safe enough locked in your room, Miss Claythorne," Reminded Blore.
"I suppose so," Vera grudgingly agreed.
Then she stretched.
"How good it feels...the sun on the skin. Even though I know we are in danger...I feel out here in daylight...I cannot die."
Blore looked at his wrist-watch.
"It's two o' clock. How about lunch?"
"I'm not going back to that house!" Cried Vera, "I'm quite happy staying put where I am!"
"Oh come now Miss Claythorne," Insisted Blore, "We must keep our strength up."
But Vera's mind was made up. Then Blore turned to Lombard.
"I think I will stay here with Vera," Requested Lombard, "Don't worry, I'm not going to shoot Vera suddenly when your back is turned, if that's what you think."
"It's alright if you say so, but we agreed not to separate," Reminded Blore.
"Your the one who wants to go into the lion's den!" Said Lombard.
"Well I guess it is a bit risky going up to the house so..."
"Therefore will I lend you my revolver? Well the answer is no!" Lombard said raising his voice in a whisper.
Blore shrugged his shoulders.
"Suit yourself," He said.
With that, he headed off from the cliff along the narrow path...
Cluedo:
Philip Lombard and Vera Claythorne waited high up on the cliff for Blore's return from the house. He apparently had gone off to get himself some lunch leaving the other two behind.
"A bit risky what he's doing, isn't it?" Vera wondered.
"Hardly," Replied Lombard, "Blore is twice Armstrong's physique and is on his guard. Besides, supposing Armstrong is not in the house...."
"Well what other possibility is there?" Asked Vera.
"Well there is Blore," Lombard whispered quietly, "I mean, perhaps he made up all that stuff about seeing Dr. Armstrong leave the house and hearing footsteps. For all we know, Blore probably killed the doctor hours before that. What do we honestly know about the man? Maybe he's not even an ex-policeman. For all we know he could be a mad-millionaire...or a crazy business man..or even an escaped inmate from Dartmoor!"
"And supposing he gets us?" Vera pondered frightfully.
"I will make quite sure it won't come to that..." Lombard reassured.
"Well I still don't think Blore's the killer," Vera disagreed, "I'm still betting it's the Doctor...."
'The mad Doctor?" Replied Lombard softly, "Waiting for Blore at the house...?"
Suddenly there was a loud thump in the air followed by a faint cry...
"What was that?" Cried Vera, "It felt like an earthquake!"
"No no..it wasn't an earthquake," Reassured Lombard, "Though something did shake the ground...I also thought I heard somebody cry out...did you?"
They both looked in the direction of the house.
"We better go see what it was," Said Lombard.
"No! I'm staying here," Insisted Vera.
"Please yourself," Shrugged Philip, "I'm leaving."
Vera hesitated.
"Fine, I will come with you," Vera grumbled.
They made their way down the cliffs slowly. They took their time in the sunshine. When they made it to the front door, they both stopped. Then they decided to circle around on the terrace when they finally made it to the Kitchen door...
They found Blore.
He was spread on lawn below the steps. His head crushed and mangled by a scruffy, innocent looking teddy bear covered in a crimson grime...
Philip Lombard looked up.
"Who room is that from the balcony?" He asked.
"It's mine...." Vera whimpered, "And that was the stuffed creature that was next to my desk..I remember now...it was the teddy bear who felt as though he had been filled with heavy rocks."
She paused and quivered with a cry.
"A big bear hugged one, and then there were two..."
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