Maverick (1957–1962): Season 1, Episode 25 - Black Fire - full transcript
Crusty old General Eakins summons all his living relatives to his ranch to assess who'll inherit his fortune. Bret Maverick fills in for obnoxious ne'er-do-well nephew Homer Eakins, a snooty painter, while Eakins pretends to be Maverick. The General takes a liking to the "new, improved" Homer Eakins, who the General hasn't seen since Homer was a tyke. Then the relatives start being killed, one by one...
That'll do.
- You better go for the
sheriff, Jeff. BRET: Hold it, Jeff.
- Let's find out what this is all about.
- Suppose you start it.
Your cousin's been
sneaking into rooms.
HOMER: Can't you save your
bickering for the dinner table?
Haven't you people enough
to do killing each other?
When I find one of my own
flesh and blood is a killer, I...
Lock him up in
the storeroom, Jeff.
Go get the sheriff.
Hello. Glad to see
you with us again.
This week's intriguing story
takes us to an isolated ranch...
deep in the Wyoming territory
for a tale of mystery and violence.
It's called "Black Fire."
It was a warm day
in early spring...
when brother Bret first set
eyes on Black Fire Ranch.
And it was a day
he'd long remember.
- Afternoon.
- Yes, sir. Which one are you?
Eakins. Homer Eakins.
All right, Mr. Eakins, looks
like you're the last of the lot.
- Rest of them is up at the ranch house.
- Thank you.
I'd swear he said his
name was Homer Eakins.
[KNOCKING]
Homer Eakins.
Folks is waiting for you.
So I went down to Texas.
Instead of that, I go to Dallas...
Hello. I'm cousin Homer. Ahem.
Why, you're Mary
Beth's little boy.
That's right, ma'am.
I'm your cousin Abby Wilkins. Your
mother and I grew up together, Homer.
Heh, heh, well...
Homer Eakins, isn't that right?
Well, I'm your cousin Lonnie
Doble from Dallas, Texas.
- I've heard a lot about you.
- Well, come on and meet your kinfolk.
This is your cousin Elizabeth
Seabright. She's a female suffragette...
and a temperance worker.
- And her husband...
- Elmo.
Yeah, Elmo.
And over here, we have...
Let's see, I still haven't got yours.
- Millard Sawyer.
- Oh, yeah, cousin Millard.
Now, here, we have
your cousin Hope Martin.
She's your first cousin, Homer.
- Well, that's kissing kin.
- Is it?
Cousin Jeff Martin.
Him and Hope is brother
and sister. They grew up here.
Howdy, Jeff.
And this is cousin Seeby Dixon.
- Howdy.
- Howdy.
Cousin Pliney Potter.
[COUGHING]
Now, sit right down
here, cousin Homer.
Now, make yourself comfortable.
Just how long are we supposed
to sit around here waiting?
Unless the general has
changed a lot in the last 20 years...
he'll let us know when
he's good and ready.
Suppose we ought
to go up and see him?
GENERAL: Go up and see him?
Don't nobody have
to go up and see me.
Just because I sent for you don't mean
that I'm laying around in my deathbed.
LONNIE: But, general...
- Stay away from me, all of you.
Keep your distance.
Hm.
Now that I've seen you, I
may decide not to die at all.
[SCOFFS]
Which one are you?
You know very well who I am,
general. I'm Elizabeth Seabright.
Oh. I was hoping your voice
would change when you got older.
Well, there's one thing I ain't
got, and that's family pride.
- Who are you?
- I'm Homer Eakins, general.
I don't believe it.
Well, it's a fact, general.
You'll have to remember you
haven't seen me since I was...
Ten years old?
We all have to grow up sometime.
I didn't think you'd
ever grow up.
Let alone...
Well, never mind.
Good to see you,
general. I'm Lonnie Doble...
When I wanna know who you
are, I'll ask you who you are.
Sit down.
[GENERAL SIGHS]
First of all, you people
are all guests of Black Fire.
Whether you like it or not.
[ELMO CLEARS THROAT]
Why do you call it
Black Fire, general?
Because it's my place, and I can
call it any blame thing I want to.
There's a lava bed up at
the north end of the ranch.
Black fire is Indian for lava.
Why are we guests at Black Fire?
Because I said so.
I don't wanna see you people
any more than you wanna see me.
But people seem to think that
I'm getting old or something.
And that fool lawyer of mine
said that I've got to decide...
who's gonna get Black
Fire and all my money.
Now, I'm gonna take two
weeks to pick some heirs.
Any of you that don't want the money
can just go on about your business.
The rest of you can
stay here for inspection.
That's compulsory.
Ahh!
Understand?
If you've got any stuff in the
village, go get it and come back here.
Luther will show your rooms.
He's the smiley one
that answers the door.
BRET: General. GENERAL: Homer.
I'd like to ask a favor.
A friend of mine is
convalescing after an illness...
and I've been sort
of looking after him.
He's down in town now. Could
I bring him along as a guest?
Well, I don't see why not.
He won't get in on the grabs, but
he's welcome to stay with you, yes.
Thank you, general.
I'll have to let the boys
know down the gate.
What name does
your friend go by?
Maverick. Bret Maverick.
Oh. All right, go get
your moving done.
Breakfast at 7:30. Sharp.
[KNOCKING]
BRET: Homer.
- All right, all right.
Yeah.
For a minute, I was afraid
you'd be overcome by the fumes.
- What, the paint?
- No, the Rabbit Tobacco.
All right, Maverick, now that
we've all had our hearty laugh...
how did it go?
Well, I think he was expecting
somebody more your type.
He was very
pleasantly surprised.
Well, I couldn't
be more delighted.
I want him to like you,
Maverick. For my sake.
That's greed, Homer, greed.
It's not greed at all.
I merely want my kindly
old uncle to die happy...
knowing that he's left
his money in good hands.
How did you like
the old gargoyle?
Oh, I liked him.
Well, you're both to be
complimented on your exquisite taste.
Homer, I have some news
for you you're not gonna like.
All the relatives, including you,
have to spend two weeks at Black Fire.
Letting the old
man look you over.
Maverick, I keep getting the feeling
that you're trying to say something to me.
Homer...
let me out.
It was fun when we were
talking about it, but now, I...
Now you wanna
crawl out of it, eh?
Maverick, am I a hard man?
No. It's just that you
owe me a sizable favor.
And you're gonna
pay it back this way.
I want you to go out
there, have a grand time.
Enjoy yourself, have fun.
And just remember that my thoughts
will be with you every minute you're there.
So will you, Homer.
What do you mean?
You need food and shelter...
and I'll need moral support and
the answers to a lot of questions.
So I told the general that I was
bringing my friend Maverick along.
- You didn't.
- I did, Homer.
And I am.
Sorry, out of the question. He'd know
me the minute I walked into the house.
There would be the usual fight,
I'd be cut off without a nickel.
I'm not giving you
a choice, Homer.
If you don't play Bret Maverick,
I don't play Homer Eakins.
Mr. Maverick, your...
Hat?
Whoever cut that fence
was acting under your orders.
I thought we agreed there'd
be no more fence cutting.
I can't help what you thought.
Those farmers aren't gonna
sit and let you cut their fences...
every time you take the notion.
They've got a right to put fences up.
You're gonna have to get used to
it. We have to live with these people.
GENERAL: Live nothing. Run them
off the range as fast as they turn up.
MARTIN: You know as well
as I there's too many of them.
And they don't run.
GENERAL: Oh...
Well, come in, come in.
Your cousin Jeff has just been
explaining the beef business to me.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Oh, General Gibson,
Mr. Martin, Mr. Bret Maverick.
- How you do?
- My pleasure.
- Thank you.
- Excuse me.
[GENERAL CHUCKLING]
You know, all you gotta do is
cut one of them nesters' fences...
and it'll set that
boy off for days.
- I bet the nesters love
it too. GENERAL: Ahem.
Well, so you're
Mr. Maverick, huh? Hm.
You know, Homer, this is the
way I thought you'd grow up.
Indeed, well, when you expect too
much, you're bound to be disappointed.
You must learn to make
the best of what you have.
Huh.
- Well, boy, what do you do for a living?
- Oh, I'm a painter.
- Houses, barns...?
- Pictures.
Oh, for the love...
I thought you'd
outgrow that kid stuff.
You don't look like no artist.
- That's very kind of you, general.
- Huh.
Maverick, what do you do?
I play poker.
No, I mean how do
you earn your living?
General, when a man plays poker
well, he doesn't have to earn a living.
Other people earn
his living for him.
No one can accuse
Bret Maverick...
of having done an honest day's
work since the day he left home.
Isn't that right, Homer?
That's right, Maverick.
GENERAL: Hm.
Well, boy, when are you gonna
ride out and look over the ranch?
- Anytime you say, general.
- Good, good.
Well, what do you think of it?
Since it obviously
isn't a relative...
I'll assume you're
paying off an election bet.
Young man, I shot
that moose myself.
Well, the least you can
do is give it a decent burial.
MILLARD: The country has got through
panics before, and it'll do it again.
Why, the bank where I
work is as sound as a dollar.
Nobody seems to know
just how sound that is.
General, do you know that's the
third glass of whiskey you've drunk...
since we sat down to table?
If I took the time to count, I
wouldn't have the time to drink.
- What's your trouble?
- It isn't often I have to sit and watch...
one of God's creatures dissolving
his own brains with alcohol.
If I didn't keep my brains thawed
out, they'd get as hard as my arteries.
Eat your dinner.
What else do you do for mankind
besides trying to cut off their liquor?
I work for the
emancipation of women.
Hm. You make less
sense sober than I do drunk.
You over there...
you anxious to get emancipated?
Well, I...
What do you think
about women voting?
[COUGHING]
Homer, do you think
women will ever vote?
If they put their
minds to it, they will.
Oh, you talk about women the
way Jeff here talks about farmers.
Just because they want something
doesn't mean they're gonna get it.
The farmers will get what they want
because we want what they've got.
The country is filling out and
it can't fill out without farmers.
When I see meat on my
plate, I wanna see potatoes too.
There's trains running between
here and the farm country every day.
They can bring you all
the potatoes you can eat.
You're absolutely
right, general.
I know all about this whole problem
of fences cutting in on good rangeland.
And I'll tell you one thing. If I
ran this ranch or any other...
I'd boot them sodbusters
out as fast as they showed up.
Yeah? How would you
run a place like Black Fire?
Just like I run my business in Dallas.
The old methods, the tried and the true.
You start bringing in these
new fancy-dan ideas...
and your whole
business will go to blazes.
Yeah. You've got
some good ideas.
I'd like to hear more of them.
Will you excuse me?
These tried-and-true ideas
work out so well around here...
I've got to go talk a farmer out
of taking us to court about them.
[CHUCKLING]
You ought to be ashamed of
yourself. You're a disgusting old man.
You're all disgusting.
Well, now that you mention it.
You hover around like buzzards
waiting for Uncle Jay to die...
- so you can swoop down on his leavings.
- Now, hold up just a minute.
Let me tell you one
thing, he's too mean to die.
And this fine big ranch you
wanna divide among yourselves...
isn't the general's,
it's Jeff's.
Jeff has run Black Fire
ever since he was a boy.
He worked 18 hours a
day making it what it is.
All the general has done has
been to sit around and start trouble.
Cousin Hope, you're overwrought.
And don't call me cousin.
I don't wanna feel kin
to anybody in this room.
She gets her temper
from her father's people.
Whoever they are.
Ha! Game, 15-2, 15-4,
15-6, and two are 8.
Ha, ha! I guess you know now
who's the cardplayer in this family.
You're no cardplayer. You
just always draw a good hand.
Oh, yes.
I think I'll get me
some fresh air.
Join me, Maverick?
For fresh air?
Do you care for a
friendly game, Maverick?
I'm never friendly at
cards, I never play for fun.
Well, what's wrong
with playing for money?
You can't afford it, you
have a large family to support.
Hm.
MILLARD: It's the general's own
fault. He didn't raise the boy right.
If he'd started using the
strap when Jeff was little...
ELIZABETH: Why do you tell us?
Why don't you pass your
suggestions to the general?
MILLARD: Don't start telling me what to
do, Lizzie Seabright. I ain't your husband.
ELIZABETH: Hmph!
Tell me, Luther.
Are all my relatives
quarrelsome?
Ask somebody else.
I've been around
here three months.
Three months from now,
I'll be somewheres else.
[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]
Eh, somebody waiting
for breakfast in bed?
Cousin Lonnie isn't
here yet. Shall we wait?
I wouldn't wait breakfast
for Fanny Davenport.
Luther! Luther!
- Yes, sir?
- My compliments to Mr. Doble.
Tell him to get himself down
to breakfast. Double-quick.
- Cousin Lonnie ain't here.
- I know he ain't here.
Get yourself up to
his room, get him here.
LUTHER: He ain't in his room.
Anybody see him go out?
The room ain't
been slept in either.
People here have taken to
stepping out for a breath of fresh air.
If he went for air, he
took his clothes with him.
Hm.
Well, Hope, looks like your
speech did some good after all.
You got rid of one of them.
All right, everybody pitch in.
GENERAL: I'm
gonna kill you, Homer.
Ha! You're dead,
Homer. You're dead.
It looks like horseshoes
ain't your game either.
- I'm just feeling out your weak spots.
- Then what do you aim to do?
- Beat your head off.
- Ha, ha!
We'll see about that.
You just watch.
I don't wanna interrupt
anything important.
- What's on your mind, Maverick?
- Why do you think Lonnie left?
Because cousin Hope
scorched his tail feathers.
He ain't used to her
nagging like I am.
I wouldn't say this is a
particularly thin-skinned family.
That's right, it ain't.
Ha, ha! Ringer!
Throw, Homer.
If anyone was to get hurt feelings and
leave because some girl made a speech...
it might be cousin Abby or
Seeby, or even Elizabeth.
- It would not be cousin Lonnie.
- Why not?
Cousin Lonnie is about as
sensitive as a barbed-wire salesman.
- He left, didn't he?
- Did he?
Who's missing?
We seem to be all here.
It's cousin Pliney.
Pliney? I don't
remember any Pliney.
The one who never
says anything, general.
Oh.
Luther!
Where's cousin Pliney?
I don't know, general, I
ain't been upstairs yet.
- I ain't had time. GENERAL: Oh.
I'd better go up.
I'll go with you.
- Nothing. GENERAL: Gone?
He's gone, sir.
Hmm.
Well, this one didn't
pack up to leave.
Somebody did
his packing for him.
GENERAL: I can't believe it.
I don't wanna believe it.
General Gibson, it's amazing how long
you can talk without stopping to think.
It's one thing for a man to
walk away from your money...
it's quite another for him
to walk away from his own.
I'm afraid he's right, general.
Anybody who hides his wallet at night is
the type that remembers it in the morning.
GENERAL: All right, then.
There seems to be
no question about it.
Two of my relatives are missing.
For all we know, they're dead.
Now, most of you people ain't
seen each other for maybe 20 years.
And you ain't been around
Black Fire together long enough...
to stir up any grudges
amongst yourselves.
So there's only one other
reason for whatever is going on.
And that is that one of you wants
my property worse than you ought to.
That's an awful thing to say.
I know that as well as you do.
The day before yesterday, I
told you all had to stay here.
I'm telling you different now.
Anybody who wants to go is
free to go without prejudice.
In fact, I'd rather you did.
Millard?
I don't feel like running, thank you. I've
always managed to take care of myself.
- Elizabeth?
- I'll stay, general.
- Elizabeth...
- I said we're staying, Elmo.
General Gibson, sir, my wife
and I are not the same type.
I'm not a relative, I'm not
gonna inherit any money...
and I don't wanna lie awake nights
waiting for somebody to kill me.
I'm obliged for
your hospitality.
It's plain to see you
ain't no kin of mine, Elmo.
You got guts, brains.
I think I'll go too, general.
I'm used to being poor.
The good ones are
always the first to go.
Well, if you're set
on staying, stay.
But if you figure to sleep tonight,
you better all bolt your doors.
It's built solid.
Everything at Black
Fire is built solid.
Mrs. Knowles...
do all the bedrooms have bolts?
Bolts just like that
one, Mr. Homer.
I made sure to use mine last
night, I bet the others did too.
Wouldn't you? If you
were one of the heirs?
I think I will be an
heir, Mr. Homer.
BART: Brother Bret's room
looked tight and substantial.
Solid walls, high windows, not
even a trapdoor into the attic.
And from what he'd seen of his
departed cousin Pliney's room...
it was exactly like this one.
But he hadn't really
studied cousin Pliney's room.
Now, the one vice of
the Mavericks is curiosity.
Cousin Homer.
Cousin Millard.
You're looking for something?
You could say that.
Did you find it?
Who knows?
It was the dead of
night, the silent hour...
when General Gibson
and all his household...
his heirs and his
would-be heirs...
could enjoy the security
of their bolted doors.
All but one of them, that is.
Brother Bret's theory
was a very simple one.
The killer, no matter what
his plans were for the night...
would probably
not bolt his door.
And this seemed like
the best place to start.
This was cousin Millard's room.
MILLARD: That's far enough.
That'll do.
- You better go for the
sheriff, Jeff. BRET: Hold it, Jeff.
- Let's find out what this is all about.
- Suppose you start it.
Your cousin Homer has been
sneaking into people's rooms.
Just trying people's
doors, general.
You've been trying people's
doors for three nights now.
I have not. I should have been. Somebody
should have been doing something.
You can talk better
sense than that.
I've been working
on a theory, general.
I figured anybody who wasn't in his own
room would be the one we're looking for.
Well, now, ain't
that interesting?
That's just what
Millard figured.
Good thing for you
folks I agreed with him.
Can't you people save your
bickering for the dinner table?
What are you playing now?
Sorry to tell you, but you're not very
careful in your choice of company.
Well, I should think
that goes without saying.
Homer, this hurts me.
The only fault you didn't
have when you were a boy...
you weren't sneaky.
I'm happy to hear that.
As sick as I'd get at the
sight of your mean little face...
I never thought
you'd turn out this bad.
Don't tell me you've been
playing cards with these people.
GENERAL: Playing cards?
We caught him sneaking
in to kill his cousin Millard.
What a preposterous notion.
You better keep out of this,
Maverick, this is a family matter.
By all means,
keep it in the family.
Haven't you enough
to do killing each other?
If you wanna be comical,
go do it someplace else.
When I think of one of my
own flesh and blood a killer, I...
Lock him up in the storeroom,
Jeff. Go get the sheriff.
Never mind, Jeff.
General, this man has
two things to his credit.
He is not a killer and he
is not your flesh and blood.
Now, what the blazes
does that mean?
This man is a simple, hard-working
card shark named Bret Maverick.
Well, then who...?
What...?
Don't tell me.
Don't even tell me.
That little ratty face...
that big mouth that never stops going,
those same blame aggravating ways.
Dear uncle, you
haven't forgotten me.
Homer Eakins.
Well, with everybody's
good and kind permission...
Don't be in such a
hurry, Mr. Maverick.
- You've got some explaining to do.
- Settle down, Millard.
All he'd done was whip you
in a fight, and you started that.
Go to bed, all of you.
You too, Millard.
Well, I think I'll go pack now.
- I've had a perfectly charming time.
- You ain't going nowheres.
I'm disappointed in you, boy.
Just as I was getting to like you, you turn
out to be one of those relatives of mine.
Well, general, for once in my
life I know precisely how you feel.
But I guess I'll get used to it.
- At least you've got guts.
- Guts?
It took guts to do
what you done.
Just what was it I done?
You took all the blame off your
friend here and put it on yourself.
Oh. How exciting.
Good night, Bret.
Good night, general.
Don't worry, general,
he'll grow on you.
That's what I'm afraid of.
General, I'll say goodbye to you and
then Homer, and I think I'll be on my way.
Maverick, walk me down to
my study. I wanna talk to you.
You.
[GRUNTS]
No, thank you.
- Do you have to go?
- Well, let's say I don't have to stay.
What can you get somewheres
else you can't get here?
A good night's sleep.
Oh, Homer... I mean, Maverick.
I'd take it kindly if you
could stay for a while.
You're the only one
here that I can trust.
You think I have an honest face?
No, I don't. But at
least you ain't a relative.
- Your housekeeper isn't a relative either.
- Don't have to be.
She's been here 20 years.
She knows that she'll
get $20,000 when I die.
What about Luther?
Aw, Luther is dead from the neck
up and half dead from there on down.
You're the one I need, Maverick.
I'm sorry, general.
I almost like those
kinfolk of yours.
And I haven't got the heart to sit around
and watch them get killed off one by one.
That ain't exactly
what I had in mind. I...
I'm an old man. I've
worked hard for what I've got.
Tell me, general, just
what have you got?
I've got Black
Fire and $2 million.
And I'm not about to
leave any of it to a killer.
Well, what are you about to do?
Find out who's doing it...
and then stop him
before he can do it again.
Why do you say "he"?
Well, there ain't no she around here
strong enough to drag off a grown man.
Have you taken a good look
at cousin Elizabeth lately?
Well, general, I wish you
all the luck in the world.
Wait a minute.
I don't need luck. I need help,
and you're gonna give it to me.
As my pappy used to say:
A man who can't find his own troubles
doesn't deserve to share somebody else's.
Maverick.
Did your pappy have anything
comical to say about money?
- No, he always spoke very highly of it.
- Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna make
you a proposition.
Tree this killer for
me and I'll pay you.
What would you say to $2000?
- Oh, I'd think of something very friendly.
- Yeah.
All right. Now,
where do we start?
I think first of all, we should
stake out some guards.
- Inside and out.
- Walk me down to the bunkhouse...
- and I'll wake up some of the hands.
- All right.
Oh, Bret.
Have you got any idea
who it is we're looking for?
None yet.
- You have, haven't you?
- Yeah.
I can't sleep nights
for thinking it's Jeff.
Why is that?
Oh, Jeff has never had
a fair shake out of life.
Nor Hope either. Their father
left home when they were babies...
their mother, my youngest sister,
and the only one of them I really liked...
she brought them
here, and then she died.
And I never did
do right by them.
You remember what Hope was saying
about Black Fire being Jeff's place?
- I remember.
- She's right.
Jeff has made this ranch his father
and mother and wife and family.
And I think he's been festering
inside at the thought of losing it.
Enough to kill people?
I'll tell you what
I'll do, general.
I'll make you a bet.
The 2000 you're
offering me to stay here.
If it is Jeff, you don't
owe me a nickel.
If it isn't Jeff, $4000.
You're betting $2000 on Jeff.
It'll be the best
2000 you ever lost.
Yeah.
I feel better already.
Come on, boy, let's
go call out the guard.
Another half hour, I suppose
there will be some more bad news.
If there's anybody missing
again today, I'm going to leave.
You'll lose a lot
of money that way.
I could lose worse than money.
Oh, if they'd only let me
take those extra chairs away.
[GASPS]
Oh! Why, you gave me
such a turn, Mr. Sawyer.
Up so early and
sitting in the dark.
Oh, it's a beautiful
morning outside.
[SCREAMING]
SHERIFF: Can
anybody add anything?
Well, I don't know what to say.
No question it's murder. And
when we search the whole ranch...
we'll probably wind up
with two more bodies.
But I wouldn't have any
idea who to start arresting.
I don't have to tell you...
I wouldn't have had this thing
happen for anything in the world.
If it hadn't been for me, it
wouldn't have happened.
You mustn't think that, general.
It's not your fault you're rich.
The other day I
asked you all to go.
Now I'm telling you to go.
All of you, pack up, clear out.
It was a bad idea,
me bringing you here.
I've seen you now, I know
who I'm gonna give what to.
I want you to all go home
while you're still alive.
I can't let them go, general.
Don't tell me what you can
and can't do. This is my house.
This is my county and all these
people are under suspicion of murder.
And I don't want any of them
wandering off across any state lines.
Folks, I'm just as
sorry as I can be.
Perhaps you can come back
tomorrow and apologize to any of us...
who are still alive.
Keep your guards posted
and hope for the best.
I better go out and help your
cowhands look for the other bodies.
The search is over, sheriff.
We found both bodies
up at the lava bed.
Now, you take Millard.
We both saw him go
charging off into his room...
and we both heard
him bolt his door.
Now, nobody could have gotten in
that room unless Millard let him in.
Now, you don't believe that
any more than I do, general.
Cousin Millard wasn't
exactly a trusting soul.
With people disappearing, can't
you just see him opening the door...
to somebody in the
middle of the night?
Not without him
having a gun on him.
Then we'll have to
look for another answer.
But how else could they get in?
There is no sliding panels
and trapdoors in this house.
I think I know.
There's only one way.
Whoever killed cousin Millard
was in the room when he came in.
- Waiting in there for him, you mean?
- That's right.
Well, but how could
that have been?
We were all of us out there
in the hall when he went in.
Were we?
I should have gone yesterday
when I had a chance. Why didn't I?
Yes, why didn't you?
- Because he's greedy.
- I hope that's all.
Why do you all sit around
like this? It isn't healthy.
The least we can do is
keep an eye on each other.
That's healthy enough for me.
Well, if we look at each other long enough,
we won't care whether we die or not.
When I think that yesterday I
didn't have a relative in the world.
You're very cool, cousin Homer.
Doesn't anything bother you?
Cousin Hope, everything
bothers me, very little alarms me.
Maybe cousin Homer hasn't
got any reason to worry.
Cousin Elizabeth, if I were the killer,
you'd have been dead two days ago.
If anyone asks for me, I'm
outside bribing the guards.
Keep smiling.
[SCOFFS]
BART: Somewhere in that
house, there was an answer hidden.
Some simple little fact that
would start things making sense.
And Bret was gonna find it...
if it meant searching the
house from one end to the other.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
He began at the
most logical place.
And this was where
the search ended.
He hadn't expected it
to be quite that easy.
Know what they say, Homer, a
good appetite is the best sauce.
Really, Bret, we're all aware
that you're not one of us.
There's no need for
you to feel smug about it.
I think we'd all be better off
if we had dinner in our rooms.
I don't think so at all.
There's really no reason to sit here
and mope and avoid looking at each other.
There isn't, huh?
No reason at all.
Suspicion and distrust are the
worst things you can bring to dinner.
Instead of enjoying your dinner,
you all sit here wondering...
which one of you is scheming
to murder the rest of you.
Even the dullest mind has a
genius for expressing the obvious.
I can set your minds at rest.
What does that mean, Bret?
I know the answer.
Well, let's have it.
Well, to begin with,
general, we're all agreed:
The guests here aren't well enough
acquainted to warrant killing each other.
The only interest they
have in common is your will.
Mm-hm.
Well, get on with it.
Now, there's more than
enough money to go around.
So the only thing worth
fighting for is Black Fire itself.
Somebody wants to make sure
this ranch goes to the right person.
- Wouldn't you say so, Jeff?
- I hadn't thought about it.
Mr. Maverick, you're being coy.
Would you mind telling us right out
which one of us you think is the murderer?
Come on, confound it, which one?
None of us.
Are you playing
games, Mr. Maverick?
Not at all, Miss Martin.
Then who is the killer?
Your father.
That's not very
funny, Mr. Maverick.
We don't have a father.
What are you talking
about, Maverick?
George Martin hasn't
been seen for 22 years.
He hasn't?
Then forget it.
You're not finished yet.
You keep talking and talk fast.
Well, the unfortunate thing is, general,
that my theory is really just a theory.
I know what I think and I can
prove it to my own satisfaction.
But you can't take
a theory into court.
I couldn't even take
this one to the sheriff.
No, it will take somebody
else's word besides my own.
Martin.
[DISHES CRASHING]
Thank you, George. I wasn't
completely sure it was you.
MAN: Stop!
[GUNSHOTS]
That was a long shot, Bret.
How did you come to it?
Not such a long shot, general.
The brooch.
HOPE: Who is it?
Your mother and him.
I'm to blame for all of this.
I could have said
at the beginning...
that I'd never leave Black
Fire to anybody but Jeff.
All I meant to leave the
rest of you was money.
That's all I ever wanted.
That's all any of you wanted.
All right, you'll all
get your money.
All except Jeff, that is.
Why all except Jeff?
Because he don't need
it. He's got Black Fire.
As to the rest of you...
I'm gonna take some of
the joy out of your lives.
You won't have to sit
around waiting for me to die.
You can take half the cash and
split it up amongst yourselves. Now.
Do you have plans for
the other half, general?
I'm saving that to go
out and get drunk on.
GENERAL: One, two...
three, four.
It's a pleasure to do
business with you.
It's a pleasure to take
your money, general.
- Are you going too, boy?
- Why not?
Where do you figure on going?
Paris.
Paris, France?
What other Paris is there?
I've always wanted
to starve in a garret.
Homer, if we was both to go to Paris,
we could sure do her up in great style.
- Do you think you could behave yourself?
- No.
All right then, Paris it is.
- You care to join us, Maverick?
- Not this time, thank you.
I'm holding up a big
poker game in Denver.
Well, don't lose
her all in one place.
[HORSE NEIGHING]
[HOOVES GALLOPING]
It's the sheriff.
I got here as soon as I
could. What happened?
The butler did it.
[English - US -SDH]
- You better go for the
sheriff, Jeff. BRET: Hold it, Jeff.
- Let's find out what this is all about.
- Suppose you start it.
Your cousin's been
sneaking into rooms.
HOMER: Can't you save your
bickering for the dinner table?
Haven't you people enough
to do killing each other?
When I find one of my own
flesh and blood is a killer, I...
Lock him up in
the storeroom, Jeff.
Go get the sheriff.
Hello. Glad to see
you with us again.
This week's intriguing story
takes us to an isolated ranch...
deep in the Wyoming territory
for a tale of mystery and violence.
It's called "Black Fire."
It was a warm day
in early spring...
when brother Bret first set
eyes on Black Fire Ranch.
And it was a day
he'd long remember.
- Afternoon.
- Yes, sir. Which one are you?
Eakins. Homer Eakins.
All right, Mr. Eakins, looks
like you're the last of the lot.
- Rest of them is up at the ranch house.
- Thank you.
I'd swear he said his
name was Homer Eakins.
[KNOCKING]
Homer Eakins.
Folks is waiting for you.
So I went down to Texas.
Instead of that, I go to Dallas...
Hello. I'm cousin Homer. Ahem.
Why, you're Mary
Beth's little boy.
That's right, ma'am.
I'm your cousin Abby Wilkins. Your
mother and I grew up together, Homer.
Heh, heh, well...
Homer Eakins, isn't that right?
Well, I'm your cousin Lonnie
Doble from Dallas, Texas.
- I've heard a lot about you.
- Well, come on and meet your kinfolk.
This is your cousin Elizabeth
Seabright. She's a female suffragette...
and a temperance worker.
- And her husband...
- Elmo.
Yeah, Elmo.
And over here, we have...
Let's see, I still haven't got yours.
- Millard Sawyer.
- Oh, yeah, cousin Millard.
Now, here, we have
your cousin Hope Martin.
She's your first cousin, Homer.
- Well, that's kissing kin.
- Is it?
Cousin Jeff Martin.
Him and Hope is brother
and sister. They grew up here.
Howdy, Jeff.
And this is cousin Seeby Dixon.
- Howdy.
- Howdy.
Cousin Pliney Potter.
[COUGHING]
Now, sit right down
here, cousin Homer.
Now, make yourself comfortable.
Just how long are we supposed
to sit around here waiting?
Unless the general has
changed a lot in the last 20 years...
he'll let us know when
he's good and ready.
Suppose we ought
to go up and see him?
GENERAL: Go up and see him?
Don't nobody have
to go up and see me.
Just because I sent for you don't mean
that I'm laying around in my deathbed.
LONNIE: But, general...
- Stay away from me, all of you.
Keep your distance.
Hm.
Now that I've seen you, I
may decide not to die at all.
[SCOFFS]
Which one are you?
You know very well who I am,
general. I'm Elizabeth Seabright.
Oh. I was hoping your voice
would change when you got older.
Well, there's one thing I ain't
got, and that's family pride.
- Who are you?
- I'm Homer Eakins, general.
I don't believe it.
Well, it's a fact, general.
You'll have to remember you
haven't seen me since I was...
Ten years old?
We all have to grow up sometime.
I didn't think you'd
ever grow up.
Let alone...
Well, never mind.
Good to see you,
general. I'm Lonnie Doble...
When I wanna know who you
are, I'll ask you who you are.
Sit down.
[GENERAL SIGHS]
First of all, you people
are all guests of Black Fire.
Whether you like it or not.
[ELMO CLEARS THROAT]
Why do you call it
Black Fire, general?
Because it's my place, and I can
call it any blame thing I want to.
There's a lava bed up at
the north end of the ranch.
Black fire is Indian for lava.
Why are we guests at Black Fire?
Because I said so.
I don't wanna see you people
any more than you wanna see me.
But people seem to think that
I'm getting old or something.
And that fool lawyer of mine
said that I've got to decide...
who's gonna get Black
Fire and all my money.
Now, I'm gonna take two
weeks to pick some heirs.
Any of you that don't want the money
can just go on about your business.
The rest of you can
stay here for inspection.
That's compulsory.
Ahh!
Understand?
If you've got any stuff in the
village, go get it and come back here.
Luther will show your rooms.
He's the smiley one
that answers the door.
BRET: General. GENERAL: Homer.
I'd like to ask a favor.
A friend of mine is
convalescing after an illness...
and I've been sort
of looking after him.
He's down in town now. Could
I bring him along as a guest?
Well, I don't see why not.
He won't get in on the grabs, but
he's welcome to stay with you, yes.
Thank you, general.
I'll have to let the boys
know down the gate.
What name does
your friend go by?
Maverick. Bret Maverick.
Oh. All right, go get
your moving done.
Breakfast at 7:30. Sharp.
[KNOCKING]
BRET: Homer.
- All right, all right.
Yeah.
For a minute, I was afraid
you'd be overcome by the fumes.
- What, the paint?
- No, the Rabbit Tobacco.
All right, Maverick, now that
we've all had our hearty laugh...
how did it go?
Well, I think he was expecting
somebody more your type.
He was very
pleasantly surprised.
Well, I couldn't
be more delighted.
I want him to like you,
Maverick. For my sake.
That's greed, Homer, greed.
It's not greed at all.
I merely want my kindly
old uncle to die happy...
knowing that he's left
his money in good hands.
How did you like
the old gargoyle?
Oh, I liked him.
Well, you're both to be
complimented on your exquisite taste.
Homer, I have some news
for you you're not gonna like.
All the relatives, including you,
have to spend two weeks at Black Fire.
Letting the old
man look you over.
Maverick, I keep getting the feeling
that you're trying to say something to me.
Homer...
let me out.
It was fun when we were
talking about it, but now, I...
Now you wanna
crawl out of it, eh?
Maverick, am I a hard man?
No. It's just that you
owe me a sizable favor.
And you're gonna
pay it back this way.
I want you to go out
there, have a grand time.
Enjoy yourself, have fun.
And just remember that my thoughts
will be with you every minute you're there.
So will you, Homer.
What do you mean?
You need food and shelter...
and I'll need moral support and
the answers to a lot of questions.
So I told the general that I was
bringing my friend Maverick along.
- You didn't.
- I did, Homer.
And I am.
Sorry, out of the question. He'd know
me the minute I walked into the house.
There would be the usual fight,
I'd be cut off without a nickel.
I'm not giving you
a choice, Homer.
If you don't play Bret Maverick,
I don't play Homer Eakins.
Mr. Maverick, your...
Hat?
Whoever cut that fence
was acting under your orders.
I thought we agreed there'd
be no more fence cutting.
I can't help what you thought.
Those farmers aren't gonna
sit and let you cut their fences...
every time you take the notion.
They've got a right to put fences up.
You're gonna have to get used to
it. We have to live with these people.
GENERAL: Live nothing. Run them
off the range as fast as they turn up.
MARTIN: You know as well
as I there's too many of them.
And they don't run.
GENERAL: Oh...
Well, come in, come in.
Your cousin Jeff has just been
explaining the beef business to me.
- Oh?
- Yeah.
Oh, General Gibson,
Mr. Martin, Mr. Bret Maverick.
- How you do?
- My pleasure.
- Thank you.
- Excuse me.
[GENERAL CHUCKLING]
You know, all you gotta do is
cut one of them nesters' fences...
and it'll set that
boy off for days.
- I bet the nesters love
it too. GENERAL: Ahem.
Well, so you're
Mr. Maverick, huh? Hm.
You know, Homer, this is the
way I thought you'd grow up.
Indeed, well, when you expect too
much, you're bound to be disappointed.
You must learn to make
the best of what you have.
Huh.
- Well, boy, what do you do for a living?
- Oh, I'm a painter.
- Houses, barns...?
- Pictures.
Oh, for the love...
I thought you'd
outgrow that kid stuff.
You don't look like no artist.
- That's very kind of you, general.
- Huh.
Maverick, what do you do?
I play poker.
No, I mean how do
you earn your living?
General, when a man plays poker
well, he doesn't have to earn a living.
Other people earn
his living for him.
No one can accuse
Bret Maverick...
of having done an honest day's
work since the day he left home.
Isn't that right, Homer?
That's right, Maverick.
GENERAL: Hm.
Well, boy, when are you gonna
ride out and look over the ranch?
- Anytime you say, general.
- Good, good.
Well, what do you think of it?
Since it obviously
isn't a relative...
I'll assume you're
paying off an election bet.
Young man, I shot
that moose myself.
Well, the least you can
do is give it a decent burial.
MILLARD: The country has got through
panics before, and it'll do it again.
Why, the bank where I
work is as sound as a dollar.
Nobody seems to know
just how sound that is.
General, do you know that's the
third glass of whiskey you've drunk...
since we sat down to table?
If I took the time to count, I
wouldn't have the time to drink.
- What's your trouble?
- It isn't often I have to sit and watch...
one of God's creatures dissolving
his own brains with alcohol.
If I didn't keep my brains thawed
out, they'd get as hard as my arteries.
Eat your dinner.
What else do you do for mankind
besides trying to cut off their liquor?
I work for the
emancipation of women.
Hm. You make less
sense sober than I do drunk.
You over there...
you anxious to get emancipated?
Well, I...
What do you think
about women voting?
[COUGHING]
Homer, do you think
women will ever vote?
If they put their
minds to it, they will.
Oh, you talk about women the
way Jeff here talks about farmers.
Just because they want something
doesn't mean they're gonna get it.
The farmers will get what they want
because we want what they've got.
The country is filling out and
it can't fill out without farmers.
When I see meat on my
plate, I wanna see potatoes too.
There's trains running between
here and the farm country every day.
They can bring you all
the potatoes you can eat.
You're absolutely
right, general.
I know all about this whole problem
of fences cutting in on good rangeland.
And I'll tell you one thing. If I
ran this ranch or any other...
I'd boot them sodbusters
out as fast as they showed up.
Yeah? How would you
run a place like Black Fire?
Just like I run my business in Dallas.
The old methods, the tried and the true.
You start bringing in these
new fancy-dan ideas...
and your whole
business will go to blazes.
Yeah. You've got
some good ideas.
I'd like to hear more of them.
Will you excuse me?
These tried-and-true ideas
work out so well around here...
I've got to go talk a farmer out
of taking us to court about them.
[CHUCKLING]
You ought to be ashamed of
yourself. You're a disgusting old man.
You're all disgusting.
Well, now that you mention it.
You hover around like buzzards
waiting for Uncle Jay to die...
- so you can swoop down on his leavings.
- Now, hold up just a minute.
Let me tell you one
thing, he's too mean to die.
And this fine big ranch you
wanna divide among yourselves...
isn't the general's,
it's Jeff's.
Jeff has run Black Fire
ever since he was a boy.
He worked 18 hours a
day making it what it is.
All the general has done has
been to sit around and start trouble.
Cousin Hope, you're overwrought.
And don't call me cousin.
I don't wanna feel kin
to anybody in this room.
She gets her temper
from her father's people.
Whoever they are.
Ha! Game, 15-2, 15-4,
15-6, and two are 8.
Ha, ha! I guess you know now
who's the cardplayer in this family.
You're no cardplayer. You
just always draw a good hand.
Oh, yes.
I think I'll get me
some fresh air.
Join me, Maverick?
For fresh air?
Do you care for a
friendly game, Maverick?
I'm never friendly at
cards, I never play for fun.
Well, what's wrong
with playing for money?
You can't afford it, you
have a large family to support.
Hm.
MILLARD: It's the general's own
fault. He didn't raise the boy right.
If he'd started using the
strap when Jeff was little...
ELIZABETH: Why do you tell us?
Why don't you pass your
suggestions to the general?
MILLARD: Don't start telling me what to
do, Lizzie Seabright. I ain't your husband.
ELIZABETH: Hmph!
Tell me, Luther.
Are all my relatives
quarrelsome?
Ask somebody else.
I've been around
here three months.
Three months from now,
I'll be somewheres else.
[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]
Eh, somebody waiting
for breakfast in bed?
Cousin Lonnie isn't
here yet. Shall we wait?
I wouldn't wait breakfast
for Fanny Davenport.
Luther! Luther!
- Yes, sir?
- My compliments to Mr. Doble.
Tell him to get himself down
to breakfast. Double-quick.
- Cousin Lonnie ain't here.
- I know he ain't here.
Get yourself up to
his room, get him here.
LUTHER: He ain't in his room.
Anybody see him go out?
The room ain't
been slept in either.
People here have taken to
stepping out for a breath of fresh air.
If he went for air, he
took his clothes with him.
Hm.
Well, Hope, looks like your
speech did some good after all.
You got rid of one of them.
All right, everybody pitch in.
GENERAL: I'm
gonna kill you, Homer.
Ha! You're dead,
Homer. You're dead.
It looks like horseshoes
ain't your game either.
- I'm just feeling out your weak spots.
- Then what do you aim to do?
- Beat your head off.
- Ha, ha!
We'll see about that.
You just watch.
I don't wanna interrupt
anything important.
- What's on your mind, Maverick?
- Why do you think Lonnie left?
Because cousin Hope
scorched his tail feathers.
He ain't used to her
nagging like I am.
I wouldn't say this is a
particularly thin-skinned family.
That's right, it ain't.
Ha, ha! Ringer!
Throw, Homer.
If anyone was to get hurt feelings and
leave because some girl made a speech...
it might be cousin Abby or
Seeby, or even Elizabeth.
- It would not be cousin Lonnie.
- Why not?
Cousin Lonnie is about as
sensitive as a barbed-wire salesman.
- He left, didn't he?
- Did he?
Who's missing?
We seem to be all here.
It's cousin Pliney.
Pliney? I don't
remember any Pliney.
The one who never
says anything, general.
Oh.
Luther!
Where's cousin Pliney?
I don't know, general, I
ain't been upstairs yet.
- I ain't had time. GENERAL: Oh.
I'd better go up.
I'll go with you.
- Nothing. GENERAL: Gone?
He's gone, sir.
Hmm.
Well, this one didn't
pack up to leave.
Somebody did
his packing for him.
GENERAL: I can't believe it.
I don't wanna believe it.
General Gibson, it's amazing how long
you can talk without stopping to think.
It's one thing for a man to
walk away from your money...
it's quite another for him
to walk away from his own.
I'm afraid he's right, general.
Anybody who hides his wallet at night is
the type that remembers it in the morning.
GENERAL: All right, then.
There seems to be
no question about it.
Two of my relatives are missing.
For all we know, they're dead.
Now, most of you people ain't
seen each other for maybe 20 years.
And you ain't been around
Black Fire together long enough...
to stir up any grudges
amongst yourselves.
So there's only one other
reason for whatever is going on.
And that is that one of you wants
my property worse than you ought to.
That's an awful thing to say.
I know that as well as you do.
The day before yesterday, I
told you all had to stay here.
I'm telling you different now.
Anybody who wants to go is
free to go without prejudice.
In fact, I'd rather you did.
Millard?
I don't feel like running, thank you. I've
always managed to take care of myself.
- Elizabeth?
- I'll stay, general.
- Elizabeth...
- I said we're staying, Elmo.
General Gibson, sir, my wife
and I are not the same type.
I'm not a relative, I'm not
gonna inherit any money...
and I don't wanna lie awake nights
waiting for somebody to kill me.
I'm obliged for
your hospitality.
It's plain to see you
ain't no kin of mine, Elmo.
You got guts, brains.
I think I'll go too, general.
I'm used to being poor.
The good ones are
always the first to go.
Well, if you're set
on staying, stay.
But if you figure to sleep tonight,
you better all bolt your doors.
It's built solid.
Everything at Black
Fire is built solid.
Mrs. Knowles...
do all the bedrooms have bolts?
Bolts just like that
one, Mr. Homer.
I made sure to use mine last
night, I bet the others did too.
Wouldn't you? If you
were one of the heirs?
I think I will be an
heir, Mr. Homer.
BART: Brother Bret's room
looked tight and substantial.
Solid walls, high windows, not
even a trapdoor into the attic.
And from what he'd seen of his
departed cousin Pliney's room...
it was exactly like this one.
But he hadn't really
studied cousin Pliney's room.
Now, the one vice of
the Mavericks is curiosity.
Cousin Homer.
Cousin Millard.
You're looking for something?
You could say that.
Did you find it?
Who knows?
It was the dead of
night, the silent hour...
when General Gibson
and all his household...
his heirs and his
would-be heirs...
could enjoy the security
of their bolted doors.
All but one of them, that is.
Brother Bret's theory
was a very simple one.
The killer, no matter what
his plans were for the night...
would probably
not bolt his door.
And this seemed like
the best place to start.
This was cousin Millard's room.
MILLARD: That's far enough.
That'll do.
- You better go for the
sheriff, Jeff. BRET: Hold it, Jeff.
- Let's find out what this is all about.
- Suppose you start it.
Your cousin Homer has been
sneaking into people's rooms.
Just trying people's
doors, general.
You've been trying people's
doors for three nights now.
I have not. I should have been. Somebody
should have been doing something.
You can talk better
sense than that.
I've been working
on a theory, general.
I figured anybody who wasn't in his own
room would be the one we're looking for.
Well, now, ain't
that interesting?
That's just what
Millard figured.
Good thing for you
folks I agreed with him.
Can't you people save your
bickering for the dinner table?
What are you playing now?
Sorry to tell you, but you're not very
careful in your choice of company.
Well, I should think
that goes without saying.
Homer, this hurts me.
The only fault you didn't
have when you were a boy...
you weren't sneaky.
I'm happy to hear that.
As sick as I'd get at the
sight of your mean little face...
I never thought
you'd turn out this bad.
Don't tell me you've been
playing cards with these people.
GENERAL: Playing cards?
We caught him sneaking
in to kill his cousin Millard.
What a preposterous notion.
You better keep out of this,
Maverick, this is a family matter.
By all means,
keep it in the family.
Haven't you enough
to do killing each other?
If you wanna be comical,
go do it someplace else.
When I think of one of my
own flesh and blood a killer, I...
Lock him up in the storeroom,
Jeff. Go get the sheriff.
Never mind, Jeff.
General, this man has
two things to his credit.
He is not a killer and he
is not your flesh and blood.
Now, what the blazes
does that mean?
This man is a simple, hard-working
card shark named Bret Maverick.
Well, then who...?
What...?
Don't tell me.
Don't even tell me.
That little ratty face...
that big mouth that never stops going,
those same blame aggravating ways.
Dear uncle, you
haven't forgotten me.
Homer Eakins.
Well, with everybody's
good and kind permission...
Don't be in such a
hurry, Mr. Maverick.
- You've got some explaining to do.
- Settle down, Millard.
All he'd done was whip you
in a fight, and you started that.
Go to bed, all of you.
You too, Millard.
Well, I think I'll go pack now.
- I've had a perfectly charming time.
- You ain't going nowheres.
I'm disappointed in you, boy.
Just as I was getting to like you, you turn
out to be one of those relatives of mine.
Well, general, for once in my
life I know precisely how you feel.
But I guess I'll get used to it.
- At least you've got guts.
- Guts?
It took guts to do
what you done.
Just what was it I done?
You took all the blame off your
friend here and put it on yourself.
Oh. How exciting.
Good night, Bret.
Good night, general.
Don't worry, general,
he'll grow on you.
That's what I'm afraid of.
General, I'll say goodbye to you and
then Homer, and I think I'll be on my way.
Maverick, walk me down to
my study. I wanna talk to you.
You.
[GRUNTS]
No, thank you.
- Do you have to go?
- Well, let's say I don't have to stay.
What can you get somewheres
else you can't get here?
A good night's sleep.
Oh, Homer... I mean, Maverick.
I'd take it kindly if you
could stay for a while.
You're the only one
here that I can trust.
You think I have an honest face?
No, I don't. But at
least you ain't a relative.
- Your housekeeper isn't a relative either.
- Don't have to be.
She's been here 20 years.
She knows that she'll
get $20,000 when I die.
What about Luther?
Aw, Luther is dead from the neck
up and half dead from there on down.
You're the one I need, Maverick.
I'm sorry, general.
I almost like those
kinfolk of yours.
And I haven't got the heart to sit around
and watch them get killed off one by one.
That ain't exactly
what I had in mind. I...
I'm an old man. I've
worked hard for what I've got.
Tell me, general, just
what have you got?
I've got Black
Fire and $2 million.
And I'm not about to
leave any of it to a killer.
Well, what are you about to do?
Find out who's doing it...
and then stop him
before he can do it again.
Why do you say "he"?
Well, there ain't no she around here
strong enough to drag off a grown man.
Have you taken a good look
at cousin Elizabeth lately?
Well, general, I wish you
all the luck in the world.
Wait a minute.
I don't need luck. I need help,
and you're gonna give it to me.
As my pappy used to say:
A man who can't find his own troubles
doesn't deserve to share somebody else's.
Maverick.
Did your pappy have anything
comical to say about money?
- No, he always spoke very highly of it.
- Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna make
you a proposition.
Tree this killer for
me and I'll pay you.
What would you say to $2000?
- Oh, I'd think of something very friendly.
- Yeah.
All right. Now,
where do we start?
I think first of all, we should
stake out some guards.
- Inside and out.
- Walk me down to the bunkhouse...
- and I'll wake up some of the hands.
- All right.
Oh, Bret.
Have you got any idea
who it is we're looking for?
None yet.
- You have, haven't you?
- Yeah.
I can't sleep nights
for thinking it's Jeff.
Why is that?
Oh, Jeff has never had
a fair shake out of life.
Nor Hope either. Their father
left home when they were babies...
their mother, my youngest sister,
and the only one of them I really liked...
she brought them
here, and then she died.
And I never did
do right by them.
You remember what Hope was saying
about Black Fire being Jeff's place?
- I remember.
- She's right.
Jeff has made this ranch his father
and mother and wife and family.
And I think he's been festering
inside at the thought of losing it.
Enough to kill people?
I'll tell you what
I'll do, general.
I'll make you a bet.
The 2000 you're
offering me to stay here.
If it is Jeff, you don't
owe me a nickel.
If it isn't Jeff, $4000.
You're betting $2000 on Jeff.
It'll be the best
2000 you ever lost.
Yeah.
I feel better already.
Come on, boy, let's
go call out the guard.
Another half hour, I suppose
there will be some more bad news.
If there's anybody missing
again today, I'm going to leave.
You'll lose a lot
of money that way.
I could lose worse than money.
Oh, if they'd only let me
take those extra chairs away.
[GASPS]
Oh! Why, you gave me
such a turn, Mr. Sawyer.
Up so early and
sitting in the dark.
Oh, it's a beautiful
morning outside.
[SCREAMING]
SHERIFF: Can
anybody add anything?
Well, I don't know what to say.
No question it's murder. And
when we search the whole ranch...
we'll probably wind up
with two more bodies.
But I wouldn't have any
idea who to start arresting.
I don't have to tell you...
I wouldn't have had this thing
happen for anything in the world.
If it hadn't been for me, it
wouldn't have happened.
You mustn't think that, general.
It's not your fault you're rich.
The other day I
asked you all to go.
Now I'm telling you to go.
All of you, pack up, clear out.
It was a bad idea,
me bringing you here.
I've seen you now, I know
who I'm gonna give what to.
I want you to all go home
while you're still alive.
I can't let them go, general.
Don't tell me what you can
and can't do. This is my house.
This is my county and all these
people are under suspicion of murder.
And I don't want any of them
wandering off across any state lines.
Folks, I'm just as
sorry as I can be.
Perhaps you can come back
tomorrow and apologize to any of us...
who are still alive.
Keep your guards posted
and hope for the best.
I better go out and help your
cowhands look for the other bodies.
The search is over, sheriff.
We found both bodies
up at the lava bed.
Now, you take Millard.
We both saw him go
charging off into his room...
and we both heard
him bolt his door.
Now, nobody could have gotten in
that room unless Millard let him in.
Now, you don't believe that
any more than I do, general.
Cousin Millard wasn't
exactly a trusting soul.
With people disappearing, can't
you just see him opening the door...
to somebody in the
middle of the night?
Not without him
having a gun on him.
Then we'll have to
look for another answer.
But how else could they get in?
There is no sliding panels
and trapdoors in this house.
I think I know.
There's only one way.
Whoever killed cousin Millard
was in the room when he came in.
- Waiting in there for him, you mean?
- That's right.
Well, but how could
that have been?
We were all of us out there
in the hall when he went in.
Were we?
I should have gone yesterday
when I had a chance. Why didn't I?
Yes, why didn't you?
- Because he's greedy.
- I hope that's all.
Why do you all sit around
like this? It isn't healthy.
The least we can do is
keep an eye on each other.
That's healthy enough for me.
Well, if we look at each other long enough,
we won't care whether we die or not.
When I think that yesterday I
didn't have a relative in the world.
You're very cool, cousin Homer.
Doesn't anything bother you?
Cousin Hope, everything
bothers me, very little alarms me.
Maybe cousin Homer hasn't
got any reason to worry.
Cousin Elizabeth, if I were the killer,
you'd have been dead two days ago.
If anyone asks for me, I'm
outside bribing the guards.
Keep smiling.
[SCOFFS]
BART: Somewhere in that
house, there was an answer hidden.
Some simple little fact that
would start things making sense.
And Bret was gonna find it...
if it meant searching the
house from one end to the other.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
He began at the
most logical place.
And this was where
the search ended.
He hadn't expected it
to be quite that easy.
Know what they say, Homer, a
good appetite is the best sauce.
Really, Bret, we're all aware
that you're not one of us.
There's no need for
you to feel smug about it.
I think we'd all be better off
if we had dinner in our rooms.
I don't think so at all.
There's really no reason to sit here
and mope and avoid looking at each other.
There isn't, huh?
No reason at all.
Suspicion and distrust are the
worst things you can bring to dinner.
Instead of enjoying your dinner,
you all sit here wondering...
which one of you is scheming
to murder the rest of you.
Even the dullest mind has a
genius for expressing the obvious.
I can set your minds at rest.
What does that mean, Bret?
I know the answer.
Well, let's have it.
Well, to begin with,
general, we're all agreed:
The guests here aren't well enough
acquainted to warrant killing each other.
The only interest they
have in common is your will.
Mm-hm.
Well, get on with it.
Now, there's more than
enough money to go around.
So the only thing worth
fighting for is Black Fire itself.
Somebody wants to make sure
this ranch goes to the right person.
- Wouldn't you say so, Jeff?
- I hadn't thought about it.
Mr. Maverick, you're being coy.
Would you mind telling us right out
which one of us you think is the murderer?
Come on, confound it, which one?
None of us.
Are you playing
games, Mr. Maverick?
Not at all, Miss Martin.
Then who is the killer?
Your father.
That's not very
funny, Mr. Maverick.
We don't have a father.
What are you talking
about, Maverick?
George Martin hasn't
been seen for 22 years.
He hasn't?
Then forget it.
You're not finished yet.
You keep talking and talk fast.
Well, the unfortunate thing is, general,
that my theory is really just a theory.
I know what I think and I can
prove it to my own satisfaction.
But you can't take
a theory into court.
I couldn't even take
this one to the sheriff.
No, it will take somebody
else's word besides my own.
Martin.
[DISHES CRASHING]
Thank you, George. I wasn't
completely sure it was you.
MAN: Stop!
[GUNSHOTS]
That was a long shot, Bret.
How did you come to it?
Not such a long shot, general.
The brooch.
HOPE: Who is it?
Your mother and him.
I'm to blame for all of this.
I could have said
at the beginning...
that I'd never leave Black
Fire to anybody but Jeff.
All I meant to leave the
rest of you was money.
That's all I ever wanted.
That's all any of you wanted.
All right, you'll all
get your money.
All except Jeff, that is.
Why all except Jeff?
Because he don't need
it. He's got Black Fire.
As to the rest of you...
I'm gonna take some of
the joy out of your lives.
You won't have to sit
around waiting for me to die.
You can take half the cash and
split it up amongst yourselves. Now.
Do you have plans for
the other half, general?
I'm saving that to go
out and get drunk on.
GENERAL: One, two...
three, four.
It's a pleasure to do
business with you.
It's a pleasure to take
your money, general.
- Are you going too, boy?
- Why not?
Where do you figure on going?
Paris.
Paris, France?
What other Paris is there?
I've always wanted
to starve in a garret.
Homer, if we was both to go to Paris,
we could sure do her up in great style.
- Do you think you could behave yourself?
- No.
All right then, Paris it is.
- You care to join us, Maverick?
- Not this time, thank you.
I'm holding up a big
poker game in Denver.
Well, don't lose
her all in one place.
[HORSE NEIGHING]
[HOOVES GALLOPING]
It's the sheriff.
I got here as soon as I
could. What happened?
The butler did it.
[English - US -SDH]