Original subtitles

You better go for the sheriff, Jeff.

Hold it, Jeff.

Let's find out what this is all about. Suppose you started it.

Your cousin's been sneaking into people's rooms.

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

storeroom, Jeff. Go get the sheriff.

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 Brett first set eyes on

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. The rest of them's

up at the ranch house.

Thank you.

I'd swear he said his name was Homer Eakins.

Homer Egan.

Folks is waiting for you.

Hello,

I'm Cousin Homer.

a married best little boy.

That's right, ma 'am.

I'm your cousin Abby Wilkins.

Your mother and I grew up together, Homer.

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.

Uh, this is your cousin Elizabeth Seabright. She's a female suffragette.

uh... Temperance worker.

And her husband... Elmo.

Yeah, Elmo.

And over here, we have... Let's see, I still haven't got yours.

Millard Soil. Oh, yeah, Cousin Millard.

Now, here we have your cousin, Hope Martin.

She's your first cousin, Homer.

Well, that's kissing, Kent.

Is it?

Cousin Jeff Martin.

Him and Hope's brother and sister. They grew up here.

Sorry, Jeff.

And this is Cousin C .B. Dixon. Howdy.

Cousin Pliny Potter.

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.

You suppose we ought to go up and see him?

Go up and see him.

Don't nobody have to go up and see me.

Just because I sent for you people don't mean that I'm laying around my

deathbed.

Stay away from me, all of you.

Keep your distance.

Hmm.

Now that I've seen you...

I may decide not to die at all.

Hmm.

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 Dover. When I want to know who you are, I'll ask you who you are.

Sit down.

First of all, you people are all guests of Blackfire, whether you like it or

not.

Why do you call it Blackfire, 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.

Blackfire is Indian for lava.

Why are we guests at Blackfire?

Because I said so.

I don't want to see you people any more than you want to see me.

But people seem to think that I'm getting old or something.

And that fool lawyer of mine says that I've got to decide who's going to get

black fire and all my money.

Now, I'm going to take two weeks to pick some airs.

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.

Understand?

If you got any stuff in the village, go get it and come back here.

Luther will show you your rooms.

He's the smiley one that answers the door.

General. Hold me.

I'd like to ask a favor.

A friend of mine is convalescing after an illness, and I've been sort of

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 the edge.

Thank you, General.

I'll have to let the boys know down the gate. What name does your friend go by?

Maverick. Brent Maverick. Oh.

All right. Go get your moving done.

Breakfast at 7 .30.

Sharp.

All right, all right.

Yeah.

For a minute, I was afraid you'd be overcome by the fumes. Well, the paint?

No, the rabbit tobacco.

All right, Maverick, now that we've all had our hearty laugh, how'd 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.

It'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'd 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 going to like.

All the relatives, including you.

Have to spend two weeks at Blackfire, letting the old man look you over.

Maverick, I keep getting the feeling that you're trying to say something to

Homer, let me out.

It was fun when we were talking about it, but now I... Now you want to crawl

of it, huh?

Maverick, am I a hard man?

No.

It's just that you owe me a sizable favor.

And you're going to pay it back. And you're going to pay it back this way.

Now, I want you to go out there and 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'll 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.

Well, I'm sorry, Brett. It's entirely out of the question. He'd know me the

minute I walked into the house. They'd 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 Brett Maverick, I don't play Homer Eakins.

Mr. Maverick, your... hat?

Whoever cut that fence was acting under your orders.

I thought we'd agreed there'd be no more fence cutting. I can't help what you

thought. Those farmers aren't going to sit back and let you cut their fences

every time you take the notion.

They've got a right to put fences up, and you're just going to have to get

to it.

We have to live with these people. Live nothing.

Run them off the range as fast as they turn up.

You know as well as I, General, there's too many of them. And they don't run.

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. Brett Maverick.

How do you do? My pleasure, Mr. Maverick. Thank you. Excuse me.

You know, all you got to do is cut one of them nesters' fences, and it'll set

that boy off for days.

I'll bet the nesters love it, too.

Well,

so you're Mr.

Maverick, huh?

You know, Homer, this is the way I thought you'd grow up.

Indeed. Well, General, when you expect too much, you're bound to be

disappointed. You must learn to make the best of what you have.

Well, boy,

what do you do for a living?

I'm a painter.

Houses, barns?

Pictures.

Oh, for the love.

I thought you'd outgrow that kid's stuff. You don't look like no artist.

That's very kind of you, General.

Maverick, what do you do?

I play poker.

Oh, I mean, how do you earn your living?

General Gibson, 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 Brett Maverick of having done an honest day's work since

day he left home.

Isn't that right, Homer?

That's right, Maverick.

Well, boy, when are you going to 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

bet.

Young man, I shot that moose myself.

Well, the least you can do is give it a decent burial.

The country has got through panics before, and it'll do it again.

Why, the bank where I work is as sound as a dollop.

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

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

brains with alcohol.

Young woman, 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.

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?

Do you think women will ever vote?

I'm afraid 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 going to get it. The

farmers will get what they want because we want what they've got.

The country's filling out, and it can't fill out without farmers.

When I see meat on my plate, I want to 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 range land.

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'd you run a place like Blackfire?

Just like I run my business in Dallas.

The old methods, the tried and the true.

You start bringing in these new fancy damn ideas, and your whole business will

go to blazes.

Yeah. You 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.

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 a flock of buzzards,

waiting for Uncle Jake to die so you can all swoop down on his leavings.

Now, hold up just a minute.

Let me tell you one thing. He's too mean to die.

And another thing. This fine big ranch you want to divide among yourselves

the General's. It's Jeff's. Jeff has run Blackfire ever since he was a boy.

He's worked 18 hours a day making it what it is. And all the General's done

been to sit around and starve trouble.

Cousin Hope, you're overwrought.

And don't call me cousin.

I don't want to feel kin to anybody in this room.

She gets her temper from her father's people, whoever they are.

Game.

15 -2, 15 -4, 15 -6, and 2 -8.

I guess you know now who's the card player in this family, huh? You're no

player, General. You just always draw a good hand. Oh, yeah.

I think I'll get me some fresh air.

Join me, Maverick.

For fresh air?

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.

That's the General's own fault.

He ain't raised the boy right.

Now, if he'd started using the strap when Jeff was little... Why do you tell

Why don't you pass your suggestions to the general?

Don't start telling me what to do, Lizzie Seabright. I ain't your husband.

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 somewhere else.

Yeah, 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 and get him here.

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.

Well, Hope, looks like your speech did some good after all. We got rid of one

them.

I'm going to kill you, Homer.

You're dead, Homer. You're dead.

It looks like horseshoes ain't your game either.

Oh, I'm just feeling out your weak spots.

Yeah, well, then what game to do?

Beat your head off.

We'll see about that.

You just watched.

I don't want to interrupt anything important.

What's in 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, a ringer.

Throw Homer.

that if anyone was to get hurt feelings and leave because some girl made a

speech, it might be Cousin Abby or CB or even Elizabeth.

It would not be Cousin Lonnie. Why not?

Because Cousin Lonnie is about as sensitive as a barbed wire salesman. He

didn't he?

Did he?

Who's missing?

We seem to be all here.

It's Cousin Pliny.

Pliny? I don't remember any Pliny. The one who never says anything, General.

Oh.

Luther!

Where's Cousin Pliny?

I don't know, General. I ain't been upstairs yet.

I ain't had time.

I'd better go up.

I'll go with you.

Gone? He's gone, sir.

Hmm.

Well, this one didn't pack up to leave.

Somebody did his packing for him.

Can't believe it.

I don't want to believe it. General Gibson, it's amazing how long you can

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.

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 Blackfire together long enough to stir up any

amongst yourselves.

So there's only one other reason for whatever's 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 I had to stay here.

I'm telling you different now.

Anybody 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.

Oh, 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 going to inherit any money.

And I don't want to 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.

If you're set on staying, stay.

But if you figure to sleep tonight, you better all bolt your doors.

Bill Follett.

Everything at Blackfire 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.

Brother Brett's room looked tight and substantial.

Solid walls, high windows, not even a trap door into the attic.

And from what he'd seen of his departed cousin Pliny's room, it was exactly like

this one.

But he hadn't really studied cousin Pliny's room.

Now, the one vice of the Mavericks is curiosity.

Cousin Homer.

Cousin Millard.

You 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.

Oh, but one of them, that is.

Brother Brett's theory was a very simple one.

The killer, no matter what his plans were for tonight, would probably not

his door.

And this seemed like the best place to start.

This was Cousin Millard's room.

That's far enough.

You better go for the sheriff, Jeff.

Hold it, Jeff.

Let's find out what this is all about.

Suppose you started, Homer.

Your cousin Homer's been sneaking into people's rooms.

Just trying people's doors, General.

They have been trying people's doors for three nights now, ain't you? I have

not.

I should have been, though. Somebody should have been doing something.

You can talk better sense than that.

I've been working on the theory, General.

I figured that anybody who wasn't in his own room would probably be the one we

were looking for.

Well, now, ain't that interesting.

That's just what Millard here figured.

It's a good thing for you folks that I agreed with him. Can't you people save

your bickering for the dinner table?

What are you playing now?

I'm sorry to tell you, Mr. Maverick, 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.

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 the family matter.

Then by all means, keep it in the family.

Haven't you people enough to do, killing each other?

If you want to be comical, go do it someplace else.

When I think of one of my own flesh and blood 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 blazer does that mean?

This man is a simple, hard -working card shark named Brett Maverick.

Well, then who...

Don't tell me. Don't even tell me.

That little ratty face.

That big mouth that never stops going.

Those same blamed, aggravating ways.

Dear uncle, you haven't forgotten me. Homer Eaton.

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 done was whip you in a fight, and you started that.

I'll 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'm 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.

How exciting.

Good night, Press.

Good night, General.

Don't worry, General. He'll grow on you.

That's what I'm afraid of.

Well, General, I'll say goodbye to you and then Homer, and I think I'll be on

way.

Maverick, walk me down to my study.

I want to talk to you.

No,

thank you.

Do you have to go?

Well, let's say I don't have to stay.

Well, what can you get somewhere else that you can't get here?

A good night's sleep.

Oh, Homer.

I mean, Maverick.

I'd take it kindly if he could stay for a while.

You're the only one here that I can trust.

You think I have an honest faith?

No, I don't. But at least she ain't a relative.

Well, your housekeeper isn't a relative either.

She don't have to be. She's been here 20 years.

She knows that she'll get $20 ,000 when I die.

What about your houseman, Luther?

Oh, Luther's 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 Kent folk of yours.

And I haven't got the heart to sit around and watch them get killed off one

one. Oh, that ain't exactly what I had in mind.

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 Blackfire and two million dollars.

And I'm not about to leave any of it to a killer.

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 going to 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

Maverick.

Did your pappy have anything comical to say about money?

No, he always spoke very highly of it. Yeah.

Well, I'm going to make you a proposition.

Tree this killer for me, and I'll pay you.

What did you say to $2 ,000?

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 the house and out.

You walk me down to the bunkhouse and I'll wake up some of the hands.

All right.

Oh, Brett.

Have you got any idea who it is we're looking for?

None yet.

You have, haven't you?

I can't sleep nights for thinking it's Jeff.

Why is that?

Oh, Jeff's never had a fair shake out of life.

No hope either.

Your father left home when they were babies. Their mother, my youngest

and the only one of them I really liked, she brought him here.

Then she died.

And I never did do right by him.

You remember what Hope was saying the other morning 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.

I think he's been festering inside to the thought of losing it.

Enough to kill people?

I'll tell you what I'll do, gentlemen.

I'll make you a bet.

The $2 ,000 you're offering me to stay here.

If it is Jeff, you don't owe me a nickel.

If it isn't Jeff,

$4 ,000.

You're betting $2 ,000 on Jeff?

It'll be the best $2 ,000 you ever lost.

I feel better already.

Come on, boy. Let's go call out the guard.

Another half hour, I suppose, 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.

They've only let me take those extra chairs away.

Oh, you gave me such a turn, Mr. Sawyer.

Up so early and sitting in the dark.

Oh, it's a beautiful morning outside.

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

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

the world.

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 of me bringing you here.

I've seen you now.

I know who I'm going to 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 got 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.

But people disappearing one by one, can't you just see him opening the door

somebody in the middle of the night?

Not without him having a gun on him. Then we'll have to look for another

But how else could they get in?

There's no sliding panels and trap doors 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.

Oh, 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

Well, if we look at each other long enough, we won't care whether we die or

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.

Somewhere in that house, there was an answer hidden.

Some simple little fact that would start things making sense.

And Brett was going to find it.

If it meant searching the house from one end to the other.

He began at the most logical place.

And this was where the search ended.

He hadn't expected it to be quite that easy.

You know what they say, Homer. A good appetite is the best sauce.

Really, Brett, 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.

You know, 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 the genius for expressing the obvious.

I can set your minds at rest.

What does that mean, Brett?

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, right?

The only interest they have in common is your will.

Well, get on with it.

Now, there's more than enough money to go around.

So the only thing worth fighting for is Blackfire itself.

Somebody wants to make sure this ranch goes to the right person.

Wouldn't you think so, Jeff?

I hadn't thought about it.

Mr. Maddox, you're being coy.

Would you mind telling us right out which one of us you think is a murderer?

Come on, confound it. Which one?

None of us.

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.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even take this one to the sheriff. No, I had to take

somebody else's word besides my own.

Mike.

I wasn't completely sure it was you.

What?

That was a long shot, Brett.

How'd you come to it?

Not such a long shot, General.

The brooch.

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 Blackfire 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 you don't need it. He's got black fire.

As to the rest of you, I'm going to 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, gentlemen?

I'm saving that to go out and get drunk on.

Two, three, four.

It's a pleasure to do business with you, Maverick. It's a pleasure to take your

money, General.

Hey.

How you going, too, boy?

Why not?

Where do you figure I'm going?

Paris.

Paris, France?

What other Paris is there?

I've always wanted a Stav and a Garrett.

Homie, if he 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.

I got here as soon as I could.

What happened?

The butler did it.