Suddenly Page #6

and you have to take the gas.

I got no feeling against the President;

I'm just earning a living.

By treason.

Ace shoots craps. Don't give me

that politics jazz, it's not my racket.

I don't even know who's paying me

and I don't want to know.

What's the difference?

Didn't it occur to you

why they want you to do it?

Yes, but that makes them suckers not

me. I'm the guy, who's gettin' it made.

Listen sheriff, a man can stand only for

so much. Before the war, I drifted

and drifted and ran, always lost

in a big crowd. I hated that crowd.

I used to dream about

the crowd once in a while.

I used to see all those faces scratchin'

and shovin' and bitin' and then the mist

would clear and somehow

all those faces would be me.

All me and all nothin'.

But the war changed everything,

eh Baron?

I'm no traitor, sheriff.

I won a Silver Star.

And learned how to kill.

Yeah, maybe I did.

Maybe that changed everything.

Maybe people began

to know who I was.

After the show, I hooked up

with an outfit for good dough.

The finger said where and how much

and Johnny Baron did the job.

You think anybody else could handle

it? Like Benny or Wheeler without me?

You're talkin' too

much, Johnny.

Nobody else can do this job,

because they've got too much feeling

and feeling's

no good.

I got nothing against

the President, sheriff.

He's just worth half a million

bucks to me, tax- free.

Makin' my own laws

about the taxes too, Pop.

- The guy is goofy.

- Shut up, Jud.

Listen to him, buster. And

don't ever say that again. Ever!

You heard him, Jud.

A half million dollars, huh?

Yeah, that's a lot of scratch, sheriff.

A man could retire on that amount.

- How do you know it will ever be paid?

- Half of it's been paid.

- And the rest?

- I'll get it.

I wouldn't be sure. It's not just

a man; it's the President.

That's what's so funny.

The laugh is on the guys

who're paying the freight.

All this loot and they don't

even know what they're doing.

Half a million clams for absolutely

nothing, because tonight at 5pm,

I kill the president and at 5:01

there's a new president.

What changes? Nothing.

What are they paying for? Nothing.

Otherwise I wouldn't have

taken the job, sheriff.

You'd have taken it.

You think so?

- Yeah.

- Why?

Alright, take it easy.

Come on, lady.

Do as you're told

and everything will be fine.

Answer straight,

clean and plain. Answer it.

Hello.

Mrs Benson,

let me speak to the chief.

Benny?

Yeah, train's on time,

the car will be waiting in front of the

station like you figured, facing you.

Fine, get back as soon as you can

and don't be followed.

Check.

There's the big boy's car now.

Lovely target.

- Hey, hold it Mister.

- Yes officer, what is it?

- What's your name?

- Fred, Fred Whitaker.

- What are you doing in town?

- Just passing through.

Where's your car?

I don't have one. I hitch-hiked in from

Three Rivers, waiting for the train out.

I figured I'd take

the train on to L.A.

- What train?

- The five o'clock.

- The five o'clock. Now that's strange.

- Why Officer?

Because we don't have any

except today and that happens to be

a special, you don't know about.

- Except that you do.

- Must be some mistake.

You made it.

Oh, now look officer, I got

identification. I can prove who I am.

I got my drivers

licence right here.

Come on.

Gunfire!

Hold it, don't shoot him...

- I told you not to kill him.

- Not to kill him? After he...

He was our only link.

Come on.

- So long, Benny.

- Do you think they got him?

I only hope he's dead.

- Haggerty.

- Yes sir.

We got him.

Dead unfortunately.

Wasn't Carney's last checkpoint

the house on the hill?

Yes, he went there with the sheriff to

check the White Springs ranch about 2.

We haven't been able

to reach them.

Take two troopers

and back track 'em.

Start with the house on the hill.

We've got to find Carney.

Right.

Now we got trouble. Everybody

except Mrs Benson, in the cellar.

- What are you gonna' do?

- Nothing, I hope. Move.

Anybody gets brave, kill 'em all.

You can only hang once.

Pidge, stay up there.

Now look. Get a grip on yourself.

I want you to look relaxed.

If you don't pull this off,

everybody is dead. Understand?

All of us dead.

So be yourself.

I don't know what you mean.

They'll come up here to check whether

Carney and the sheriff were here

and I want you to go out front.

I don't want 'em in the house.

I can't. I don't know how.

I don't know what to say.

Just go out and water the flowers.

Do anything you like, but keep busy...

Lipstick and rouge, quick.

Now listen to me carefully,

they'll come up to check whether

Carney and the sheriff were here.

Certainly they were here.

They came up to check the house,

but at three o'clock they left here.

They went out

on the White Springs ranch road.

They took Pop and the kid with 'em

and that's the last you saw of them.

You got it, you got it?

Yes, yes.

You look like a ghost.

Step on it...

Pull it off lady,

or everybody is dead, everybody.

He's getting rattled, Pop.

How do you mean?

He didn't expect Benny to get shot.

Got anything in mind?

Maybe, now listen.

Shut up you guys.

Mrs Benson?

Yes.

My name's Haggerty.

Then you must be one

of Mr. Carney's men.

That's right, has he been here?

Haven't seen him since they left.

They came up here

about three o'clock,

to check the house, they said.

I - I don't know why.

Who are they?

Why, Mr Carney and Sheriff Shaw.

Then they said they had to check

the White Springs ranch road.

Is your father-in-law

Mr. Benson here?

Well no. No he isn't.

You see he used

to be Mr. Carney's chief.

Yes, I know.

So Mr. Carney took him along.

My little boy too.

Then you're alone?

Yes.

And you haven't heard from them

since they left?

No, no I haven't. Something's wrong.

I know something's wrong.

No, no Mrs Benson, nothing's wrong.

We're, we're just checking that's all.

But if you see

or hear from them before I do,

please have them check the detail

down at the railroad station,

it's very important. Thanks.

Alright lady, inside...

Come on, come on.

Very nice, very nice job.

Congratulations.

You don't like me, do you?

- You're an animal.

- I don't like you either.

Animals kill each other to live,

that's what you're doing.

How do you like your roast beef?

Medium rare or well done?

Alright, Bart, run 'em in.

It's clear.

- I wish you were dead.

- You haven't got the guts.

- Just give me a chance.

- Here's your chance.

Go ahead, take it, but remember

the squirt in the cellar...

That's right

think of the President first.

Let's not think of ourselves.

I didn't give you a whole chance,

but you didn't even take

a half a chance.

Everything okay, Johnny?

Sure, everything's fine.

She played her part real good.

She should be on television. You,

didn't I tell you to fix the television set?

You told me to sit.

Get your stuff and fix it.

It'll keep you from getting patriotic.

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