Summary: \u00a0\u00a0A missing scene from Season 12’s The Night Virginia City Died.<\/p>\n
Rated:\u00a0 T+ \u00a0 WC 2800<\/p>\n
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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n
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The story so far:<\/p>\n
An arsonist is on the loose in Virginia City.\u00a0 Although one suspect has been cleared, there are still no easy answers to the riddle of who is setting the fires. Faced with recall by the town\u2019s citizens, Sheriff Roy Coffee and Deputy Clem enlist the Cartwrights\u2019 help.\u00a0 Although Hoss is laid up with an injury, Joe helps Clem bring another suspect in for questioning and has been on the front lines fighting the fires, while Ben is searching through 10 years\u2019 worth of files looking for a pattern.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Clem has fallen in love with newcomer Janie Carter who came to VC with her wealthy aunt, Mrs. Lund, one of the suspects.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n The first portion of the scene that follows is a recap of what was aired.\u00a0 The episode was written by John Hawkins.<\/em><\/p>\n The Devil Among Us<\/strong><\/p>\n It was late when Joe returned to the ranch from Virginia City.\u00a0 Entering through the side door into the kitchen, he brushed past Hop Sing and headed straight for the stove to pour some coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 Where you been?\u00a0 How come you come back so late?\u201d the Chinese cook admonished.<\/p>\n \u201cFix me something to eat will you?<\/p>\n \u201cI cook dinner, wait for you.\u00a0 You think I cook 24 hour a day just for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust fix me something to eat!\u201d Joe shouted angrily.<\/p>\n Hop Sing was stunned; never had Little Joe yelled at him like that.\u00a0 Immediately contrite, Joe put the coffee pot back on the stove and turning, placed his hand on the cook\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had a long night.\u00a0 Just fix me a sandwich or something.\u201d<\/p>\n From the great room, Hoss heard the altercation but kept silent.\u00a0 Joe entered through the dining room, threw his jacket into Ben\u2019s red chair, and sat wearily on the plank table that Hoss had drawn close to the settee to serve as a footstool for his injured ankle.\u00a0 Hoss couldn\u2019t see his brother\u2019s face clearly from that angle, but the slump of Joe\u2019s shoulders and the fact that he hadn\u2019t even removed his hat said enough.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look beat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I\u2019m tired,\u201d Joe said, swallowing some coffee.<\/p>\n That cinched it as far as Hoss was concerned.\u00a0 Joe rarely acknowledged he was ever in anything but top condition. \u00a0If he admitted to being \u201ctired,\u201d he was probably plumb exhausted.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the doc came out to look at my ankle, he told me about the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can make that plural.\u00a0 Fires.\u00a0 More than one,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that a fact!\u00a0 Do you have any idea who\u2019s behind all this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got Tim Moss in jail.\u201d\u00a0 Joe hung his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did Roy arrest him?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe snorted disgustedly, \u201cPressure.\u00a0 He had to arrest somebody; the whole town is on his back.\u00a0 Moss was the most likely candidate \u2018cause he was mixed up in that barn burning over at the Benson\u2019s place a few years ago.\u00a0 But there was a reason for that.\u00a0 He and Benson had an argument.\u00a0 Benson fired him.\u00a0 There was no reason for him to burn the hotel in Virginia City or burn anything else.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, arresting him and putting him in jail . . . that ain\u2019t the end of it.\u00a0 They\u2019ve still got to let him stand trial.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe turned toward Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the part that worries me.\u201d<\/p>\n It only took a second for Hoss to take his meaning.\u00a0 A town afraid of its own shadow could turn ugly at any moment and decide to take the law into its own hands.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that why Pa\u2019s not with you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Roy wanted his help going over the records on past fires . . . see if there was some pattern.\u00a0 I told Clem I was going home.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe removed his hat and flung it into the chair on top of his jacket, then lay back on the table with a groan.\u00a0 Now that Hoss could see his brother more clearly, he was taken aback at his appearance.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t just exhaustion; it was a deep sorrow that was etched across Joe\u2019s features.<\/p>\n \u201cGod, Hoss.\u00a0 It was just awful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013\u2014<\/p>\n The grandfather clock by the front door struck the half hour as the eldest Cartwright set foot within the welcoming walls of the house.\u00a0 With a great sigh, Ben leaned against the closed door and threw the bolt, secure in the knowledge that his family was safe.\u00a0 For scores of other families who were rendered homeless by the latest conflagration, the night would be long and cold.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Hoss, it\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0 Ben hung up his hat and coat and removed his gun belt, leaving it on the sideboard.\u00a0 He walked around the corner into the downstairs bedroom where Hoss had been sleeping since slipping on a pencil and spraining his ankle.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need anything, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, sir. \u00a0Joe helped me . . . you know . . . before he went up.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s lips curled upward.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t often his youngest was on the giving rather than the receiving end of that sort of \u201chelp.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u00a0 I talked to the doctor and you\u2019re not to put any weight on that foot for at least a week.\u201d\u00a0 Ben pulled an extra quilt from the chest of drawers and spread it across the end of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cJust in case you get cold tonight,\u201d he said, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ya worry none, Pa. \u00a0Being next to the kitchen keeps this room pretty toasty and Hop Sing\u2019ll be up early stoking the stove, so I\u2019ll be fine. \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the bed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot as good as my own, but a sight better than that ol\u2019 settee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you won\u2019t be here for long if you stay off that foot.\u00a0 A sprain can be worse than a break, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re sure there\u2019s nothing I can get you, I\u2019m going to turn in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cG\u2019nite, Pa.\u00a0 Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCheck on Joe, will ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Ben yawned, \u201cIn the morning\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBest tonight, I reckon.\u00a0 He like to bit Hop Sing\u2019s head off earlier; ain\u2019t had a short fuse like that in a few years now . . . and never with Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Pa . . . he told me about Sandy Anderson.\u00a0 Were there others?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Sandy was the only one . . . this time.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing anyone could have done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell Joe that, would ya?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013\u2014<\/p>\n Ben made sure the fire in the hearth was banked properly before heading upstairs.\u00a0 Sure enough, there was light coming from under Joe\u2019s door.\u00a0 Nevertheless, he tapped softly before entering.<\/p>\n Joe was slouched at his desk, head resting on the back of the chair, stocking feet propped on the blotter which was littered with papers, books, and a plate of uneaten sandwiches.\u00a0 There was a time Joe would have scrambled to remove his feet from the furniture, but those days were long gone.\u00a0 He was thirty now; it was his room; and tonight he didn\u2019t much care what anyone thought.<\/p>\n \u201cTown quiet?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 His voice had a raspy quality from inhaling too much smoke over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cWas when I left.\u201d\u00a0 Ben pointed at the sandwiches.\u00a0 \u201cMind if I have one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHelp yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe lifted his feet from the desk and offered his father the chair, then sank cross-legged to the floor with his back against the outside wall. \u00a0Ben picked up a sandwich and looked between the slabs of bread.\u00a0 Liverwurst with pickles?<\/em>\u00a0 Ben shook his head but\u2014too tired to seek out an alternative\u2014he shrugged and bit tentatively into the sandwich.\u00a0 Surprisingly, it was good and he began to chew with gusto.\u00a0 Joe watched his father eat with a bemused smile.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you and Roy come to any conclusions?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben said between bites. \u201cBut Roy has doubts about Moss being responsible for these fires.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t make sense to me either.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil last week, the last unexplained fire was seven years ago. \u00a0The Hardcastle house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHardcastle?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cRoss Hardcastle.\u00a0 He was partners with Lucky Lund in the Lucky Strike.\u00a0 Roy says they had a falling out and during an argument Lucky had a heart attack and died.\u00a0 With both of them gone, there were no other heirs and Roberta Lund inherited everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she took her fortune and moved to Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Ben said, starting in on another sandwich.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so are the fires.\u00a0 There a connection?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u00a0 Roy and I talked to her today at Tucker\u2019s place.\u00a0 She has an ironclad alibi for the other night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s she doing at Tucker\u2019s place?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe and her niece Janie have a lot of shopping to do since they lost everything in the hotel fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClem\u2019s Janie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes; Janie Carter.\u00a0 Pretty woman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, pretty odd if you ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know . . . there\u2019s just something . . . every time I\u2019m around her I feel like someone\u2019s walking on my grave.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shivered involuntarily.<\/p>\n Ben noticed for the first time that the bedroom hearth was stone cold. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you light a fire when you came up?\u201d<\/p>\n Joe shook his head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cCouldn\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0 Not . . . not after\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ben popped the last bite of sandwich into his mouth and got up to retrieve the quilt off Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 \u201cHere; put this around you until I get the fire started.\u201d\u00a0 While draping the counterpane across his son\u2019s shoulders, his fingers rested on Joe\u2019s neck with a father\u2019s practiced touch\u2014not for long, but long enough to be assured there was no fever.<\/p>\n The kindling only took a minute or two to catch.\u00a0 Once it was burning steadily, Ben selected a piece of wood from the forged iron cradle and placed it carefully on the grate, adjusting its position with the poker until he was satisfied the log would burn evenly.<\/p>\n As Ben turned away, a sharp intake of breath escaped his lips.\u00a0 When he had sat at the desk, Joe\u2019s face had been obscured by the long shadows of the kerosene lamp.\u00a0 Now with the fire\u2019s light illuminating the room Ben could see at last what had prompted Hoss\u2019s concern. That Joe appeared haggard was not a surprise; more than that, however, he looked\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0haunted.<\/p>\n Rather than return to the chair, Ben dropped down onto the rug next to Joe.\u00a0 For a good while, father and son sat shoulder to shoulder seduced by the flickering flames.\u00a0 Eventually, Ben felt Joe\u2019s breathing even out and the shivering stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was always my favorite part,\u201d Joe said softly.<\/p>\n \u201cPart?\u00a0 Of what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the trail.\u00a0 Watching the campfire and listening to you and Adam talk.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t matter what you were saying; it was the timbre of your voices . . .crackle of the wood . . .the smell of pine and coffee.\u00a0 It made me feel . . . safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMmmm.\u201d\u00a0 Ben remembered, too.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Hoss\u2019s snoring.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike a hibernating bear,\u201d Joe chuckled but sobered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever feel safe around a fire again.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben waited for Joe to continue, but his son remained silent, staring blankly at the floor.\u00a0 Clearly, he had to have patience.\u00a0 Patience.<\/em>\u00a0 That virtue often eluded him in his youth and the Lord had surely taken delight in blessing him with a mercurial son who tried his patience daily.\u00a0 Over the years he had learned to outwait Joe; to read the signs and pick the \u201cright\u201d moment to rein him in, soothe, or offer advice that would at least be heard\u2014if not followed.\u00a0 But as Joe grew older, the signs became harder to read and Ben had to wait longer for those moments to be revealed.<\/p>\n Ben stole a sideways look at his son. \u00a0\u00a0No; it wasn\u2019t so easy now.\u00a0 Strange that the more mature and less volatile Joe became, the more he reminded Ben of his first born who held everything inside\u2014thoughtful, controlled, measured.\u00a0 Although Ben loved that about Adam, he found he was ambivalent that those same traits should surface now in his youngest son.<\/p>\n Joe drew his legs up hugging them to his chest.<\/p>\n Then Ben saw it . . . the telltale sign that signified Joe was ready to talk to about whatever was bothering him.<\/p>\n \u201cI found him,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cHim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSandy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone said there were people trapped above the ballroom.\u00a0 I started up the stairwell, but didn\u2019t get very far before the south wall caved in and took half of the second floor with it.\u00a0 I lost my balance and fell on top of him.\u00a0 He was as charred as that log,\u201d Joe jerked his chin toward the fireplace.\u00a0 \u201cThought it was just a beam I stumbled over, but I could hear him scream even above the roar of the fire.\u201d\u00a0 Joe closed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI still hear his scream.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben placed his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, giving him the courage to go on.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fire . . . the fire was so hot his clothes had melted into his flesh.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what to grab.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t see.\u00a0 But the smell . . . and the hiss . . . I never heard such a sound.\u00a0 It was as if the fire was a living thing . . . a purely evil living thing.\u201d \u00a0As Joe\u2019s voice broke, he pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and rocked slowly back and forth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did everything you could, son.\u00a0 You got Sandy out of there, gave him a chance to say goodbye to his family. Those few moments were important to him . . . to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t imagine a more horrible way to die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s at peace now, Joe.\u00a0 Let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand it, Pa.\u00a0 How can anyone do such a thing?\u00a0 I mean, even when Hoad started that brush fire, wanting to purify the land . . . he wasn\u2019t malicious; selfish and stupid, certainly, but not deliberately malicious.\u00a0\u00a0 Who would start a fire with the sole intent of destroying\u00a0things\u2014and not just things, but people?<\/p>\n Ben took his time answering.\u00a0 \u201cThat question is as old as humanity, son.\u00a0 When someone uses fire to destroy, they become as much consumed by the flames as that which burns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sound sympathetic to the firebug.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo; but I do believe whoever is starting these fires has a sick mind.\u00a0 We need to find them and stop them before any more lives are lost.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou may stop whoever is doing this, Pa, but there\u2019ll never be any answer that can justify the pain that\u2019s been afflicted on so many; Sandy\u2019s family, the others, the merchants.\u00a0 And not just on the victims, but on those who are unjustly accused like that night cook the town almost lynched.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, go to bed.\u00a0 You\u2019re exhausted; you need to rest.\u00a0 We\u2019re not going to find any answers tonight, but we will, son.\u00a0 I promise you, we will.\u201d\u00a0 Ben rubbed his son\u2019s back reassuringly.\u00a0 \u201cWe will.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe acknowledged with a short nod then stood abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going down to check on Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe.\u00a0 He\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa\u2014\u201d Joe exclaimed weakly as he pitched forward and only just barely caught himself by grabbing the edge of the desk.\u00a0 Seeing him wobble, Ben arose with the alacrity and grace of a much younger man.<\/p>\n \u201cSit,\u201d he commanded as he lowered Joe into the desk chair.\u00a0 \u201cPut your head between your knees and breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe panted.<\/p>\n \u201cDeep breaths.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u00a0 Really, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d Ben said as he took Joe firmly by the elbow and led him to the bed.\u00a0 \u201cIn.\u00a0 Now.\u00a0 No more arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe yawned, fumbling with his belt.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, let me help you.\u201d<\/p>\n The corner of Joe\u2019s mouth twitched.\u00a0 Thirty or not . . . it was good sometimes to be cared for.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben tucked the covers around his son tightly then moved to the windows and pulled the drapes shut.\u00a0 \u201cYou sleep in tomorrow.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have Charlie and Jim cover morning chores.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no answer; Joe was fast asleep.<\/p>\n Ben tiptoed quietly out of the room and started to close the door.\u00a0 From the hallway, he could hear the snores of their hibernating bear.\u00a0\u00a0 Smiling, he left the door ajar confident Joe\u2019s subconscious mind would take comfort from the sound.<\/p>\n As he crawled at long last into his own bed, he paused to reflect once again on how fortunate he was not only to have a home still standing but more importantly how blessed he was to have sons who cared more for each other\u2014and others\u2014than they did for themselves.\u00a0 The arsonist\u2014whoever it would turn out to be\u2014must have only had the devil at his side.<\/p>\n Thank you, Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n -The End-<\/p>\n December 2011<\/p>\n Thanks, Pat.<\/p>\n