Carefully pulling the gag from his mouth, she kept her fingers clear of his teeth just in case.  "Somethin' in that house had you nervous like," she stated the undeniable fact.  "Tell me what you know, pistolero.  Where are los niños?"

Albert nodded at Bryan's whispered comment, then waited to see what might emerge from the darkness. The sound only made him frown. He whispered back. "I've gotcha covered if ya wanna check that out. I can also grab a lantern if ya wanna see proper."

"May I?" Tamsin murmurs as she stands, pointing at the lamp Jacinta picked up off the man on the floor. There isn't much else she can do for him at the moment, but she is curious as to what the Ranger and Mr. Cooper have found. If they want a lantern, she can hold it and they can deal with the guns.

Nodding to Tamsin, she passed over the lantern, and then looked back to their captive on the floor.

"Don't like it McGraw."  Kate grumbled.  This whole situation... it felt like sitting on a powder keg to her.

"Don't reckon there's much to like." Jake replies. "We still don't know what that thing was that the children said came out o' the weeds. We still don't know how or even if we can kills these weeds for good. We still don't know where the kids who got took are. But we're makin' progress here." he peers out into the darkness. "Least, I think we are."

”You want the kids. Only reason anyone would be crazy enough to come out to this house,” he answers. ”I knew no good was gonna come of lettin’ them get taken.”

“I’m also guessin’ you’re not gonna listen to reason when I tell you to skedaddle. Get off this land and never look back.”

He sighs. ”They’re down below. In the cellar. Door’s in Old Man Blair’s reading room.”

"Get the lantern. With the Reverend makin' all this racket, any chance o' surprise is gone," he said.

"If you want, bring one or two o' the others if they got that fella pinned down well enough so we can take the rest of this place room by room."

"And who took them?  And why?" she prodded.  "Was it Blair?  Is he the creature that came out of the vines and took them?" 

The knocking at the back door ceases.

After a moment, Kate and McGraw see Reverend Allgood appear at the corner of the house, left of the front entrance. Aside from a few snags on his trousers, from navigating through patches of weeds, he appears no worse for wear.

”Look, I don’t know all the whys. But, come on. If you’ve been in Lincoln anytime at all, you know why. It was done for Mister Murphy, to get folks to quiet down and cooperate.”

He shakes his head. ”Look, there’s been all kinds of stories about that old man and what he did out here. I don’t know what it is. I just think you’re better off leaving things be.”

Kate presented and then lowered her Schofield.

"Easy there parson.  Where've you been anyway?"

In reply to Kansas Kate (msg # 160):

"Don't you people believe in answering the door when someone's knocking?" Earnest replies as he comes up onto the porch, "I went around back to look in the windows. There's a child in the back bedroom. He looks like he might be sick."

He goes quickly inside and through the front room into the hallway. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he goes down to the second room on the right. He halts when he reaches the Ranger and Albert.

"Have you gotten the child?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Sat 12 May 2018.

He gave the Reverend a dubious look.

"We're gonna have a talk later about all that racket you were makin'. But no, we haven't gotten him yet. Seems a bit skittish. Maybe he'll be more comfortable around a preacher. Why don't you do the honors, Rev?"

Albert nodded. "Sure thing."

Albert looked over at Tamsin and gestured for her to come with. He also waved at McGraw - the other two seemed to still be questioning the prisoner. "You two, come on with us. Bring the lanterns."

Jake notices the wave and nods, heading in, lantern at hand.

Kate too headed in.  She knew the value of a lookout but it was a boring job, that was for sure.

Jacinta plopped down on the porch beside their prisoner to keep the area in view while the others explored inside.  "So why are you out here?  What's your part in all this?"

"I'll be happy to try. Tell me, Albert, which child is it? Is he Mr. Kibbee's son?"

Kate walked around, seeing what there was to see.  Upon encountering Manuel Segovia in the flesh again, she had to laugh.

"Of course that loser's here.  Why ain't ah surprised?"

Tamsin follows without question, lantern in hand.

McGraw and River gather with Lee, Cooper, and Allgood at the doorway to the hallway. Peering into the corridor and into the nearby room with the desk and shelves, none of them see any further movement, or hear any sounds of activity. All is quiet.

The gunman scowls beneath his blindfold in response to Kate’s comment. ”Who the hell’s that? I know you?”

“I was bringin’ food out here,” he says to Castillo, ”I come out here once a day to do that. Check on things. Then I get the hell out as quick as I can.”

Kate just smiled.  She waited for some indication whether he was cooperating or not.

"Guess you got a heart of gold, pistolero.  You are you workin' for, then?"  She used his shoulder as a prop as she reached in her pocket for a cigarillo.  Glancing up at Kate, she lifted her eyebrows in silent question.