Ten Little Indians

[steelguy]

I've got it! The Butler did it!

No, wait. The Butler's dead.

Curses, this fiend is just too dashed clever!

[Sam_Cains90]

Awesome!
Read this before and I know what happens - but I am still excited and can't wait for you to update!

[Astral Faery]

OMG!!  What a twist!  Here we thought Vera was being done in, but that was just a distraction while the judge bit it!  And the killer had come and gone in the blink of an eye.  I'm very curious, now, anxiously waiting to see whose behind it all - and I thank everyone for not spilling the ending - because I haven't read this yet!

[OwlM]

lol wait untill the endyou gonna laugh outa your pants when you find out who is the killer

[Cluedo]

Thank you all for your kind comments. Of course now we are down to four and so we are coming closer to the end...

_________________________________________________________


Everybody was once again gathered in the Parlor, just as they had before. Only this time, they were minus Judge Wargrave who had been shot in his room.



"A damned clever double cross!" Growled Lombard, "That stuff was planted in Vera's room and it worked as it intended to! Everyone dashes up thinking she's being murdered, so in the confusion....someone is able to catch the old man off his guard."

"Well that trick is not going to work on us again!" Assured Blore, "Though I must admit myself, we are getting to be quite a small group now. Six out of the ten of us have been murdered! To also think it was the Judge who got it this time. For all his sagacity and for all his caution...he has gone the way of the rest."

"He had found a solution," Reminded Dr. Armstrong, "He had to be silenced."

"Silenced by who?" Asked Blore, sitting down.


"By who?" Replied Armstrong, "Well I'm beginning to wonder myself. Four of us, and we don't know which one."

"I think I may know..." Pondered Blore.

"I haven't the least doubt," Muttered Vera suspiciously, as she gazed the three men.

"I suppose I do know really," Said Dr. Armstrong slowly.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea now," Sneered Lombard.

Vera slowly staggered to her feet.

"I feel awful," She announced, "I must go to bed...I'm dead beat."

"Just a minute Miss Claythorne," Said Dr. Armstrong stopping her, "Just when the Judge was about to question you...you went upstairs to presumably get your fur wrap. True?"



"Yes," Responded Vera coldly.

"Well then, when you came in here and opened your door, you felt the seaweed hit your face," He continued, "You screamed! So we all rushed to you. However, had you not screamed, we would still be in the Parlor and the Judge would still be alive."

"Now wait a minute!" Exclaimed Lombard, "Don't confuse things! One of you two pulled this trick and are trying to pin it on Vera!"

"Now wait a minute Mr. Lombard," Silenced the Doctor, "We know very well the Judge was on the verge of an important discovery."

"How do you know what was in the Judge's mind?"

"I do know," Replied Armstrong, "He took me into his confidence. "The truth" he told me, "The entire truth."

He then turned to Vera.

"Did you or did you not commit the crime the gramophone recording accused you of?"

"Very well," Replied Vera, "Cyril was a child in my care. One day at the beach, I got distracted and...he swam out too far and drowned. That is all I am willing to say. And don't ask me anymore questions. Goodnight gentlemen."

And with a hurry, she rushed out of the Parlor and up to her room where they heard they door locked and bolted.

"I don't see why you had to question her like that," Muttered Lombard.

"Can you see Mr. Lombard?" Urged on Dr. Armstrong, "Mr. Owen had enticed us to this island due to our past crimes, of wish he is taking the punishment out on us. This means that the person here who doesn't have a past crime is clearly Mr. Owen. The Judge suggested this to me before he was killed."

"I understand now!" Exclaimed Blore, "What a clever brain the Judge had...too bad it didn't save his life."

"Yes but it will save ours," Reassured Dr. Armstrong, "At any rate, I think the best thing we can do is go to bed."

"I quite agree," Replied Lombard, "No point sitting here watching each other. May we all meet safely in the morning.....all four of us."

[Cluedo]

The rain was pouring again. Hard. It made it harder for anyone to get to sleep. With no lights, a storm of nightmare proportion, and a murderer on the loose. Nighttime was an wide-awake Hell...




Ex-Inspector Blore was able to relax a little. He even went as far as to lie on his bed, but he did not undress. His mind was working hard. Outside, he listened as the storm raged on. A thunder clasp....more rain. All he could do was just lie there on the bed in the dark.



He found the darkness created a supernatural veil over the island. It was an unnerving, mysterious veil. Blore wasn't scared of danger. At least not the physical kind in the open. But he couldn't handle the dangers of the supernatural. Suddenly he felt they weren't alone. It wasn't just the four of them on the island. He couldn't forget the ghosts of the deceased who inhabited it as well....

He remembered Anthony Marston alright. He lay in room next door rotting away all convulsed...but before then...he could still remember the first sight he had of him. The dashing young Marston....in the youth of his prime....he was in the room jeering at him.



It wasn't just Marston invading his room. Who else was in his room, haunting the night? Of course! It was that miserable old cow, Miss Brent! All stuck up...all high and righteous she was. Blore could still see her. She was at the door disapproving. ...at his manners. Her face was all bloated and purple with stings...the bees swarming her face....



Somebody was crying...sobbing in a mourn. Why it was Mrs. Rogers! All ghostly and pale she was....she looked like a ghost already. Even before she died. Doomed to the island forever...or was she free? She and her husband were both dead....almost like a distant memory.



But was it her crying? That's when a forth face came into view. It wasn't anybody on the island though. He knew he it was. He recognized the face. Pale, spectacled with a small straw-coloured mustache....It was Landor! Funny how he recognized him....he had completely forgotten before. Landor had a wife as well. A short thin figure she was; and a little girl they had too. Probably no more than fourteen years old. For the first time in Blore's life, he wondered what had happened to them.

Slowly...his eyes closed...











Then he woke with a start. It was a strange noise that woke him. He must have heard it when the rain stopped. It was now quiet with crickets outside. Morning was coming, but the strange noise continued. It was footsteps. They were going downstairs....then he heard the front door open....


Thinking fast, Blore leaped out of bed. Slowly he opened the door and didn't exit until satisfied the coast was clear. As he made his way downstairs, he noticed the front door was wide open! Blore hurried over to the doorway, but didn't expect to find anyone. He was alone staring at the heaving sea in the morning air. Suddenly into this natural noise came a scream....far in the distance...only to be drowned out by the waves....




END OF PART II

[Cluedo]

Hey readers, I will be in Ottawa for Easter weekend. I will have to continue the "Ten Little Indians" adaptation when I get back. For those who are waiting for the ending to come, please be patient for the weekend. It will be worth the wait not to spoil it prematurely.

Things to expect for Part III:

Dr. Armstrong falls under great suspicion when he appears to have vanished off the island.

Heated tensions will sizzle up between Vera and Lombard.

Blore will encounter an unexpected character from the very beginning.

More deaths.

Keep reading.

[Astral Faery]

Looking forward to it.  Have a good weekend!

[steelguy]

Ten green bottles, hanging on the wall...

[Cluedo]

PART III

Blore ran back upstairs in a hurry, and then stopped at the landing above. Somebody was moving around outside and he had to find out who it was. He ran to each door knocking.

"Lombard! Armstrong! Miss Claythorne!" He called as he knocked on each one.  

Lombard came out fully dressed, shortly followed by Vera who also hadn’t gotten changed for bed.

“What’s the matter Blore?” Lombard

“Somebody was moving about below and left the house, and I can’t figure out who it was,” Replied Blore.




Vera walked down the corridor and came to Dr. Armstrong’s door. She knocked on it again. No reply. Then she found the door was unlocked. When she opened and entered, it was clear the Dr. Armstrong was no longer in his bedroom. His bed however had been clearly slept in.

“Dr. Armstrong isn’t in his room,” Vera alerted the others.

“The Doctor?” Perked up Lombard, “Then he’s our pigeon then…”

“Yes, just as I suspected,” Said Blore, “Now it is a case of finding the bugger!”

“What if hiding?” Asked Vera, “and what if he’s watching us?”

“We’ll be on our guard this time!” Reassured Lombard, “And we will find him before he strikes again!”

“Well I heard him go outside, the front door is open,” Informed Blore.

Lombard walked over to the top of the stairs. Presently the wind kept blowing and banging the door open and shut. The lock having been broken...

“The island is no or more less a bare rock,” Reminded Lombard, “He won’t have too many places to hide. We shall wait till morning so that it is light out however, and when we do, we will find him….”

[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..."