Twenty-four Hours in the Life of….

by Mavisdavis (aka Lyn)

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of the TV program "Big Valley" are the creations of Four Star/Republic Pictures and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended by the author. The ideas expressed in this story are copyrighted to the author.

This silly ficlet ponders what might have happened at the end of the series. What happened to the Barkleys? Maybe it should be titled The Barkley’s Last Day (Maybe I should call it demented. :P) It was inspired initially by mention of writing about an average day in the life of the Barkleys. I noticed in Season 4 episodes there was often a large platter on the coffee table in the ranch parlour scenes. Though it often appeared to have crumbs on it (or a crumb-like glaze) I have never spotted it bearing food, but what, I wondered, was it doing there? For these, and many other foolish notions, read on…………

Thanks for reading.

NB: All the characters and incidents are referred to in various 4^th Season episodes (except for the refilling of the platter J)

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Some more of your favourite cookies, mother,” said Audra bearing a large brimming plateful and depositing it on the table in the parlour beside her mother. Silas placed the tray bearing a fresh coffee pot and serving items on the table beside it.

“Thank you Silas,” said Victoria abstractedly as she sampled one of the new batch of cookies and continued her reading. She looked up as Silas spoke to her.

“I’ll jus light the lamps now Missus Barkley, for I head off to town.”

“To town?” exclaimed Victoria, grimacing and looking down at the almost consumed cookie. “Audra, there’s something different about these cookies that requires further investigation. Pass me another would you? Now Silas, it's gone dusk already. What could you possibly have to do in town, this late?”

Silas looked down and shuffled his feet, and spoke in an offended tone, “Why Missus Barkley, you know I…”

“Silas is going into town regarding his publishing business mother, as well you know. I believe he’s told you about it at least twice already. Although I tell you things too, and you seldom seem to recall them…”

Audra stared off dreamily into space for a moment, as if trying to recall them herself. “Why Jarrod’s been busy finalising up documents for him all week. It’s almost as if Jarrod were expecting to be going away, or back to San Francisco at least. He was saying … now what was he saying…”

Audra stared as if picking patterns out of the wallpaper, while Victoria stirred impatiently and began to munch on another cookie. Silas fidgeted and sidled back towards the kitchen and freedom.

“…where was I? Oh, yes, Silas has so many publications on the go. Why already he has me signed up to pose for the Swimsuit edition. Nick had some photographs taken at the after rodeo saloon party ‘inveigled’ from him for a calendar series. Why I think even Heath…”

“Yes, yes,” said Victoria waving Silas away impatiently, wondering where her daughter learned a word like inveigled. “Audra don’t tell me you haven’t been spending time with Jarrod’s assistant again, haven’t I warned you before?” she swallowed and took another cookie. “These really do have an unusual flavour. Are they your own recipe? Oh, and have you had any more luck finding a replacement for Silas?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to tell you,” simpered Audra, smiling a dimple smile, an excited flush on her cheek that her mother had noticed her new cookie recipe. “Edward Hewitt, you remember that nice stage coach driver, or was he a gambler, liar, swindler and a cheat … oh I forget now. You seem to meet so many interesting people riding up to the Indian camps, mother, I wonder that you don’t think to take me with you.”

“Audra.” snapped Victoria.

“Well, anyway, where was I...” Audra stared dreamily off into space recollecting her thoughts. Victoria sighed heavily. It could take a while for her daughter to collect her thoughts.

“Audra!”

“Hmmm … yes mother…?” said Audra, her attention floating back to her mother.

“You were explaining…” she stopped, seeing her daughters eyes begin to glaze over again, “…oh never mind! Edward Hewitt. Now what about him?”

“Well, Mother, I think you’ll be very happy with this arrangement. Well, ” she paused, smiling dreamily, “now that Mr Hewitt is in prison for manslaughter. It wasn’t his fault, you know. Poisoning all those people like that. In fact I think if it hadn’t of been the mayor, the sheriff, the stationmaster, the telegraph operator, several bank managers and clerks, the judge, some marshals from out of town, all of the local Doctors and school teachers … I’m almost certain he would have gotten off with only a light warning. Such a nice man.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Audra! Would you get to the point!”

“ Well, I … Jarrod suggested it really,” Audra looked off into space, her face taking on a dreamy look again.

“He has such a nice honest face, and … OW!” Audra's hand went up to her face as her mother slapped her.

“What did you do that for?” she glared at her mother.

“Audra, we only have twenty-four hours. I haven’t got time to listen to you meander all around like brown’s cows. Now tell me what…”

“Barkley cows.”

“What?”

“Well, strictly speaking if you were being accurate that should be ‘Barkley cows’ only they don’t meander really, more like graze, except when Nick and Heath are out on roundup, then they sort of skitter, and…”

“Ohhh, give me strength,” Victoria muttered rolling her eyes skyward again. “Audra! Go to your room and write down exactly what it is you want to tell me. As if you were sending me a telegram. Short and sweet. Understand?”

Audra nodded, and began sidling from the room, clutching her embroidery. Victoria helped herself to several more cookies from the rapidly emptying plate. She looked up as Heath moved out from the shadows and helped himself to the plate too.

“Twen–ty four hooourrrrs,” he enunciated, then bit into the cookie and chewed thoughtfully.

“Only twen-ty-four of the little beggars, and that’s more’n one gone by already just listening to Audra’s chatter. Say,” he gestured, “you got the key to the gun cabinet?”

Victoria looked at him knowingly, “uh huh” she nodded and handed it to him.

When he returned carrying several guns, none of them being the tranquilliser gun she thought he had gone to collect, she was curious. Victoria wondered. “What is it Heath? What's bothering you?”

“Saw a horse today.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and sighed heavily again. Couldn’t any of her children communicate with her in a straightforward way. What kind of an answer was that? she thought and sighed heavily again.

“What are you worried about?” She asked. There, she thought, that ought to lead him straight to the point.

Heath squinted his eyes to gaze at the distant wall, his face and voice took on a different note, as though recollecting.

“Thought I’d seen it before,” he drawled, wondering when the endless questions were going to end and he could be on his way south. He had a rendezvous to make.

“Does that matter?” asked Victoria.

“One I trained,” answered Heath in his typically elusive way.

“Heath, if this is about your past, it's over, done with, finished. You’re as much a Barkley as any of us. How many more times do we have to rake this up!?” she exclaimed exasperated.

Heath shook his head. “No. This is not about that, but it is about something from the past.” Victoria frowned as she struggled to follow what her son meant. Heath continued, as if in a hurry. “This is about something that needs to be done. I swore, if I ever set eyes on her again…” His eyes took on a determined look.

“Heath. You must forget. You must forgive.”

“Nope. Don’t see it that way m’self. Nope, way I see it, what the Barkleys want they get, and one thing I’ve learned being here, is to not miss a second chance when it's offered to you. To give away something that was stolen from me. Forget a woman I loved that’s not up for debate,” he said in clipped tones that sounded to Victoria as if he’ d been spending too much time with Jarrod. “No this time, its gotta be done and done properly.”

“Heath,” beseeched Victoria, scanning his face, “Have you been spending time in town again with Jarrod? Oh if only Nick was here, but he’s still off in Colorado...”

“…courting that cattle buyer T.A. Halcombe. If he’s wise he’ll stay there, too. Well, someone from this family hadda spend some time chaperoning that sister of ours while she threw herself at her latest, Jarrod’s assistant as it turned out. I hadda make myself useful to blend into the furniture, did a bita law clerking, since Jarrod was blind ta it,” said Heath.

Victoria chewed thoughtfully on her cookie, and removed something distasteful from it. Heath scrutinised his before taking a second bite. Victoria noticed Heath eyeing the door as if to leave, and quickly engaged Heath in more conversation seeking to stave off the long evening with Audra which stretched ahead.

“Oh, now what kind of name is T.A. Halcombe? Are you sure it was a female cattle buyer, we only have your word for it? Did you see her?”

“Nope. Just a message left at the hotel desk when I checked out. Not really Nick’s style – leaving a message at the desk. He usually just barges on into my room while I’m busy... ” said Heath, blushing and seeking to end the conversation quickly, placing the half eaten cookie back on the plate and looking at them funny. He walked over and selected an apple from the fruit bowl, and then removed his hat and started to fill it with apples till it was brimming over.

Victoria noticed the familiar action, but she couldn’t quite place it. She made to rise, but was feeling a little woozy, instead snatched up her opera glasses and peered towards Heath, raising her voice to follow him.

“Heath, you don’t think Nick could be in trouble, do you? I don’t think we’ve had a letter from him, just your word…? Has Jarrod heard anything?”

Heath shrugged. “Here we go again, ” he muttered, scowling, “questioning my honesty and loyalty.”

He raised his voice so Victoria could hear him. “Ask whoever collects the mail,” he said sidling towards the door, where Victoria noticed through her opera glasses his saddlebags and bedroll were sitting.

“Why do you say that?” called Victoria, puzzled, wishing her youngest son would learn to speak up, munching on another cookie, she wondered if perhaps she were missing Nick. Her eyes fell to the great gashes in the floor gouged by Nick’s insistence of wearing spurs everyday, no matter if he were riding or not, and she shook her head. No she was not missing Nick. Maybe it was the ringing in her ears. She shook her head again. “Aaahhgghh” she cried out, and tossed her head a few more times to see if the dizziness and ringing continued. “Arrgh. Aaaahg. Aaaaargh.” She continued.

Heath stood quietly by the door, arms crossed, as if waiting for something. In the silence that followed, as Victoria again raised her glasses to look across the distance at him he offered. “’cause whoever does has been opening the mail, tearing the stamps off and then not passing it on. I found a big pile of it in the kitchen waiting in the fire-starter box, this morning. Could be the one from Nick was in there,” said Heath sidling further towards the door, hovering. “Still you gotta admit, Audra’s got an eye for economising, reusing the mail like that. That oughta stand her in good stead with a husband, don’tcha think?”

Audra swept back into the room, and said sulkily, “Mother, here’s you explanation,” holding out a note to her, then brightened as she noticed the diminished platter. “Oh, you’re nearly out of biscuits. I’ll get you some more. Heath, would you like some for your trip? Where are you going this time?” she said as it was entirely natural for Heath to be standing ready to leave at that time of night.

“Well, sis, not rightly sure, I guess that depends what the sheriff says…”

“The Sheriff?” began Audra.

Victoria interjected before her daughter lost herself on another tangent. “Thank you Audra,” said Victoria, “and could you make some fresh coffee too. I think it's going to be a looong night.”

Audra was standing partway out of the parlour, looking slightly confused and studied Heath. “Heath, what's wrong? Why is the Sheriff coming?”

“Audra, you might wanna steer clear of those cookies, ” he said rubbing his gut, wincing. “There’s something not quite…”

There was an urgent knock at the door, and Heath opened it immediately with a relieved sigh and look on his face. “Sheriff Fred, ” he smiled, and under his breath muttered, “what took you so long?”

“Lynch party on the way, had to go cross country so they wouldn’t see me and get suspicious,” Fred hissed back, then, aloud, “Heath there’s heavy rain up in the hills. A dam is going to burst and threaten a town, or a mine or something, or maybe there’s a forest fire. Anyway. We need you. All the other Freds are out on call, or on the morning shift, so I’m short handed. You’ll have to come right away. Hello Victoria, Audra, no time to talk.”

Fred nodded to them before donning his hat again and stepping back onto the porch, muttering under his breath to Heath, “No more favours, right? That’s the last, I paid all my poker debts to you now, right?”

Heath nodded in affirmation, “Right, be happy to oblige. I’ll follow you just as soon as Jarrod gets here, then I’ll be on my way,” he said clapping Fred on the back and closing the door behind him.

“Oh you!” Audra stamped her foot pouting, as if the entire conversation that had played out in front of her hadn’t even happened. “There’s nothing wrong with my cooking, and you’re always leaving before the party starts. Why anyone would think you only had one blue shirt to wear, which is silly when I know you have at least two.”

“What party?” Heath exchanged a bemused glance with Victoria, which was kind of awkward with her in the parlour, and him in the foyer by the door.

Victoria took up her opera glasses again. “There, that’s better. Well, Heath, if the sheriff needs you I guess you had better be on your way. How lucky it was that you were already packed.”

Heath nodded.

Audra continued on regardless. “As a matter of fact Mr Hewitt’s two cooks, Sam and Ella gave me the recipe especially which was very generous of them. Why they’re in the kitchen right now making another batch, reading for all the company we’re expecting.”

“Sam ‘n Ella!” exclaimed Heath, paling, alarmed.

“Company!” exclaimed Victoria.

“Heath?” wailed Audra. “You’re not going are you? Why the lynch party of course,” she said to her mother, “I just love parties. When I heard about this in town yesterday I just knew I had to keep it a surprise or Heath would sneak away, and you wouldn’t let me do the cooking. I’ve organised all the food for this one, well, with Sam and Ella. It’s a shame Silas couldn’t stay for this, but he said lynch parties weren’t really his thing, he’d maybe come to my next party, if there was one.”

Heath approached Audra, looked into her eyes, trying to catch their attention from wandering too far but couldn’t see anything there so he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to catch her attention another way. “Audra…” he said softly.

“Yes, Heath…” she replied expectantly.

“Audra, ” his grip tightened on her shoulder. “Where’s my mail? Was there a letter from Nick?”

“Heath, ow, you're hurting me!” wailed Audra, “Mother!”

“Audra!” cried Heath

“Heath!” cried Audra

“Mother!” cried Audra

“Mother!” cried Heath

“Heath!” cried Audra

“Audra!” cried Victoria, “tell him…”

At that moment Jarrod burst through the front door, running, gun in hand. He slammed the door and locked it, then ran on through the house towards the kitchen.

The three exchanged querulous looks.

“Heath?”

“Heath?”

“Beats me,” he shrugged. Then yelled, “Jarrod, how far are they behind you!?”

“Jarrod!”

“Who!?”

Jarrod came back into view, wiping the sweat from his brow a worried frown on his face. “Bout half a mile Heath. Quick, the cellar! Turn all the lights off. They’re almost here.”

“Well, then, I’ll go now, ” said Heath extending his hand to shake Jarrod’s. “There’s just the small matter of a little paperwork of mine I believe, counsellor. You got the paperwork there?”

“Yes, and the bands have been announced and it’s all ready to go Heath, this time,” said Jarrod fishing out a long envelope from his breast pocket and handing it to Heath. “Good luck Heath. I know she’s worth it.”

Audra and Victoria exchanged puzzled glances. Victoria swayed a little. Jarrod said “Mother how many cookies have you had today?”

“Well,” Victoria wobbled, “You know how I like to keep the dish stacked for you men when you come home, and always a fresh pot of coffee for callers. So when it empties I instructed Audra to top it up. Oh a few times I should think. ”

Audra mimed two open hands in the background, ten.

“Mother,” Jarrod eyed the once diminutive woman before him. “You know double-chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-corn-syrup-toffee cookies are no longer on your diet sheet. Didn’t Dr Merar say if you wanted to get down below 300 pounds again you would have to stick to rice crispies alone?”

“Well, bye,” said Heath quickly not wishing to become entangled in another women’s diet discussion, “I’d say I’ll write, but, I … well, if things turn out, you drop me a line, eh Jarrod? I’ll ride out the back road, miss that big group that’s heading this way. Enjoy the party Audra.”

Audra and Victoria exchanged puzzled glances. “What group?”

“Guess who’s coming to dinner?” quipped Heath.

“And Audra, what were you doing with the mail?”

Heath hoisted his gear onto his shoulder, emptied the hatful of apples into a saddlebag, and slipped quietly through the door before Audra dazzled them all again.

“Well, I,” she began to get that far away look in her eyes again. Victoria and Jarrod exchanged exasperated glances.

“I’ll do it,” said Jarrod gripping his sister's shoulders and shaking her. “Audra! Come on. I want an answer young lady,” he said firmly.

“Oh!” said Audra returning, “Well, I, I … I’ve been collecting stamps, you know I do fundraising, for the orphanage. It just isn’t right!” she exclaimed, tears pearling in her eyes, “that children should suffer so.”

“Ooooh,” sighed an even more annoyed Victoria, “help me back to the parlour, would you, Jarrod? So you thought that you could open your family's mail, and not give it to them and that would help the orphans? Audra what were you thinking? Was there one from Nick?”

Jarrod grasped his mother’s arm and began to drag her away from the parlour whilst Victoria struggled in the opposite direction.

Audra peered off into space as she spoke, dreamily, with a dimpled smile. Audra nodded, “uh huh … a ransom note from T.A. Halcombe about Nick, and one from Maria to Heath. Oh mother, both the letter were so romantic. I wish,” her voice caught, “I just wish someday someone would write me a letter like that. Of course, ” she paused, “after that first one there were lots of notes about Nick from former beaus suggesting all kinds of things … but the first one was the most romantic … wasn’t it Jarrod? I showed it to him and, well I haven’t seen it since then, I I, well, I suppose I should go and prepare for our guests.. ”

Jarrod was urging the heavy form of his mother towards the cellar. She collapsed into a dead faint just as he got her safely inside. Audra was still standing in the foyer looking dreamily into space, smiling, “that’s what I’ll do…” she was saying as Jarrod yanked her unceremoniously into the cellar and slammed the door shut.

A clamouring could be heard at the front door, many fists knocking and voices.

Victoria roused, frowning. “Jarrod, what's going on?” she asked.

“Hush, Mother, Audra, Sam and Ella’s handiwork is starting to take effect. You know it was really them behind the food poisoning at Hewitt’s Restaurant, not Edward and Audra as we first thought. Edward took all the blame upon himself, to keep poor Audra out of trouble.”

Audra smiled a dreamy smile and looked off into space. “Edward is such a nice man … you know mother I think, I think … I’d like to be selfless like that. To share myself with those less fortunate…”

Victoria and Jarrod shared rolling eye looks with each other. Victoria touched his arm. She was pale and breathing heavily. “Go on Jarrod. So I haven’t got much time, that’s what you’re saying isn’t it?”

Jarrod nodded.

Audra listened, and then looked off into space dreamily, and began, “Oh I’ll have the church wonderfully decorated mother, with flowers from your rose garden, and on the plaque … well, I suppose Jarrod can take care of that part. I’ll invite all the orphans to come, and…”

Audra frowned and looked upset. “Oh, but Heath won’t be here … how sad, for him to miss out again. He missed the last one too … and Nick, why he’s been a long time coming back from Colorado with his bride…”

Jarrod interrupted, “Audra! Well, Mother when I finally caught up with all the mail that hadn’t been used as firestarters, it seems our Nick has been rather a busy boy in the past, and those people you can hear banging on the door…”

Victoria nodded, failing fast, “He’s his father’s son.”

Jarrod nodded. “Yes, and so are they out there. Nick scarpered off to Colorado on that cattle buying scam at the first whiff of trouble, left that message for Heath at the hotel. Seems T.A. Halcombe was one of the ones after him, too, and managed to catch up with him in Colorado. Nick sent us a ransom note from T.A. Halcombe and explained her claims over him. We just haven’t got enough reserves to do anything about that. Heath and I thought it was only fair that she kept him. We figured Nick probably wouldn’t be complaining too much about that, from the tone of his letter in fact he appeared to be quite pleased to have the courting decision taken out of his hands. Heath’s left with what he came with, plus a few more apples and a bit of relevant paperwork, he thought was only fair.

“Well, I figured we could lay low for a while, it could all blow over. The estate is not what it once was of course and a new start will not be easy. After the court cases over Hewitt’s Restaurant, Mineral Springs, the governor’s office slander case, the fiasco of Stockton’s former sheriff staying here at the ranch while he raided ranches and the suing that resulted, and getting you, mother dear, out of prison and cleaning up your record wasn’t not a cheap exercise either. After all is said and done, Heath and I decided to divvy up what was left of the estate and call it quits. The apples were his share.”

Audra smiled, and gazed off into space, “Oh when I read that ransom note, I thought how romantic that was. If only someone would do that for me…”

“Audra!” said Jarrod, admonishingly, “Kidnap you?”

“Oh, Jarrod, just think how exciting it would be…” began Audra.

Victoria sighed, and whispered, “Jarrod, can you hurry up, I don’t think I’ve got much time left.”

“Oh I thought it was twenty-four hours?” began Audra.

Jarrod checked his watch. “Well, so far it’s only been two.” He raised his voice to shout over the groaning and splintering of timbers as the front door gave way and the thundering of feet as people poured into the once grand house.

“Did Silas get away, all right?” asked Victoria.

“Yes, we waved at each other on the town road. He has a small stash of gold ore Heath brought back from Mexico last time he was a prisoner down there. He bargained his way out using it. Have you noticed, Heath seemed a trifle resentful since then? He certainly started making more trips to the mines though, so I thought the imprisonment was good for him.

“Silas will be needing an office and a place for entertaining clients, so I wrote over the office in town, and the lodge, and place in Frisco. I like to call it sponsorship for a new start for a longstanding Barkley employee. Silas called it a gagging order so he won’t sell his ‘I worked for the Barkleys –The Real Story’ to the press.”

Victoria placed a hand on Jarrod’s arm, surprised. “Heath bribed his way out of jail in Mexico? I thought it was our fine negotiating skills that freed him. We stuck to our principles. Showed him that backing the most famous man was right. That not helping those who wronged you in the past, like Sarah Longstreet, wasn’t right. Forgive and forget, isn’t that what we taught Heath? You know I’m worried about him, Jarrod, he has such a big chip on his shoulder, why just this evening he was paranoid about a horse he said he saw in town, said he recognised it, that he trained it. What does it mean Jarrod…?”

“Well, ah, there’s a reason for that, Mother. It seems our Heath has accumulated sizeable estate down near Mexico, this side of the border, where he has a horse operation. After he was making all those trips down that way, I had the Pinkerton’s follow him. An old lady love manages it for him … Maria. That was her horse he saw in town. He’s been waiting for her to arrive so they can get hitched. Over the years he’s invested his share of the mine profit back into mines, and now he has a sizeable holding in Mexican mines as well. And we can’t touch them.

“Seems the last straw for Heath was us sending him back to Mexico to rescue the husband of that little tramp who double crossed him and left him for dead years ago, Sarah Longstreet.

Heath said to me his way would never be right, we would always make him wrong. Nick warned me too, but I didn’t think Heath would be so well set up when he left. Nick lit out to Colorado with some of the milled ore after the first paternity claimants started calling, wanting a bit of what Heath had, to set himself up a spread separate that couldn’t be touched. That’s been all the mail that our dear Audra has been opening. I’ve tried to keep them off, but they’re getting violent. Seems they banded together with the aggrieved miners, foresters, mining town populace, former criminals I put away and others who dined at Hewittson’s establishment and survived. Now they want retribution … instigated a lynching party. After I exposed the Fred’s vigilante group double dipping the sheriff’s wages, I’m afraid that Sheriff Fred won’t be of any assistance.”

Victoria smiled peacefully, and said, “That’s nice. It's what your father would’ve wanted…” then giggled.

Jarrod looked at her puzzled. Noticing the cookies were beginning to take their effect on her mind. He checked his gun.

“Jarrod,” asked Audra dreamily, “but what was the paper you gave to Heath?”

“Honey, I guess it's okay to tell you now. That was Heath’s birth certificate. Father had it all along in the safe. It was marked in large letters across the front: ‘Don’t tell unless you have nothing else left’. If we get out of this I offered it as a bribe to Heath. For that and posting the wedding band announcements he has offered to help sponsor us, find new identities for us. We will go away. Start someplace new…”

“Oh, but I don’t want that, ” wailed Audra, opening up the cellar, “who will look after the orphans? They’re in here…” she cried emerging from the cellar as the intruders poured past her. As the sounds of battle raged, Audra stared off dreamily into space with a smile on her face.

“I wonder if Sam and Ella and I can open a new restaurant in town, if I have a new identity … why I can see it now, maybe after one of these people here has lynch partied me, why my name would be in all the papers, why I’d have enough publicity to have a successful opening night … why maybe I could help Silas with his calendars … I could become so notorious someone might even want to kidnap me, like Nick. I’d like to be like him. Though I do like the name Audra … I wonder if I could just change my last name … maybe something like Barberry Blonde’s the toast of the Stockton high street…”

THE END???