Chapter Eight


“Where’s White?” Heyes asked, his eyes scanning the clearing in front of the cabins. The pink of the early morning sky was just beginning to fade over the mountains.

“Gone,” Kid said simply, as he continued brushing the buckskin gelding that he had been attending to for the last half hour.

“Wadda ya mean—gone?” Heyes asked sharply, “I thought you drew the early watch to keep an eye on him?”

“I did watch him—watched him ride right on out of here with Shorty.”

“But I said—”

“Yeah, I know, don’t let him leave. Tell that to Kinsey over there.”

Heyes eyes traveled to the gunman who was standing on the other side of the corral. “You have your gun back, don’t you?” Heyes asked.

Kid gave his friend a withering look. “You used to frown on me killing people before breakfast.”

“I didn’t say kill him, I—oh never mind. What else is going on around here?”

“Well, those two over there aren’t too happy,” Kid indicated two young men standing near the supply shed. “They had words with Kinsey right after White rode out. They’ve been standing over there looking scared to death ever since.”

“That red haired kid was in the poker game last night. He won a couple of hands but not too much,” Heyes observed quietly.

“I heard they both rode with the gang on the last robbery,” Kid added.

“We’ll try and get them alone later today and see what we can find out,” Heyes said quietly.

“Let’s go,” Kid said, seeing several of the men filing into the cabin where the meals were served. “I ask questions better on a full stomach.”

Heyes smiled, “Charlie always did make a good breakfast. If those chickens he’s got in that coop around the back of his cabin are any good at laying eggs, we’re in for some good meals.”


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By noon, most of the men were up and entertaining themselves with games of horseshoes, target practice or a casual game of cards. Heyes noticed that the two young men they’d seen by the corral earlier that morning seemed to missing from the group. He wandered around the small cluster of cabins and structures that comprised the living quarters for the outlaws hiding out at Devil’s Hole. There was only one way in or out of the Hole, and that trail was guarded by White’s men. He felt a rising sense of urgency to find the two young men. They looked like they were afraid of Kinsey, which meant they might be willing to make a deal. Having been part of the last two robberies, they would have more information than the other new recruits.

Walking toward the corral, Heyes saw Kinsey standing in the same spot he’d been in that morning. Must be his post, he thought.

“You seen that red haired kid I was playing poker with last night? What was his name, Cooper?”

“Why do you want to know?” Kinsey asked, suspiciously.

“He owes me some money from last night’s game. I just wanted to collect,” Heyes lied smoothly.

“Huh, funny. That’s the same thing your partner said.”

“Yeah?” Heyes commented simply. “You know where they are, or not?”

Kinsey shrugged. “The boy is on sentry duty. I think Curry went over to join some of the men shooting at rabbits up on the ridge.”

Heyes frowned, That doesn’t sound like Kid. Well, maybe he has his reasons. “I’ll go look up there. Thanks,” Heyes nodded and left.

A short ride to the ridge confirmed Heyes’ original conclusion. His partner was not there. Returning his horse to the corral, Heyes decided to speak to his old friend, Charlie Pickett.

“Hiya, Charlie,” Heyes called out as he entered the cabin where Pickett was already hard at work preparing the evening meal.

“Oh, hi, Heyes. I was sorta thinkin’ you might come by.”

A quick glance around the room told Heyes that they were alone. “So now will you tell me what you’re doing here? I thought your days of cooking for outlaws were long gone.”

“Well, Heyes, to tell you the truth, so did I,” Pickett confessed warily.

“So what happened?”

“White.” Pickett nearly spat out the word. “Somehow he found out I spend some time up here. He came to see me one day at the ranch where I was working. He gave me a choice—show him the way to Devil’s Hole and be his cook, or have my boss find out about my past.”

“But Charlie, that was almost fifteen years ago, surely nobody would hold that against you now?”

“I didn’t get no amnesty like you did, Heyes. There ain’t no statute o’ limitations in Wyoming, in case you forgot. I can still go to prison for what I done.”

Heyes scowled, he hadn’t forgotten, it was why he and Kid had kept trying for so long to get their amnesty. “I’m sorry, Charlie.”

“But what about you and the Kid? You got square with the law and here you are back here?”

“Well, that’s sort of a long story. We’ve got our reasons. What can you tell me about White and the men he’s got with him?”

“Most of ‘em are just kids. Ridley is his right hand man, he leads the robberies. Shorty’s a pretty tough hombre, but not too bright. Kinsey keeps everyone in line—he’s always in on all the robberies.”

“What about White, doesn’t he go?”

“Nope, never rides along on the robberies.”

Seeing Heyes’ puzzled expression, Charlie continued, “White’s the only one who gets the information about the robberies and he don’t tell nobody how he does it. He rides out with ‘em sometimes, but he never goes along to board the trains.”

“I guess even if the whole gang got caught, White could just start up again,” Heyes mused.

“Kinda discourages anybody from tryin’ to take over the gang too, they’d never know how White got his information.”

“Have many of these men been with White long?” Heyes asked.

Charlie shrugged. “Ridley and Shorty have been here the longest, and Kinsey. The others come and go.”

“Go?” Heyes asked, with eyebrows raised.

Charlie shrugged again. “Sometimes they don’t come back from the robberies, sometimes they don’t come back after breakfast.”

“Like those two boys last night? The ones that were guarding the trail when Kid and I rode in?”

Charlie nodded. “I don’t ask questions, I just cook their meals and they leave me alone.”
“Thanks, Charlie. I need to go find the Kid.” Heyes was becoming increasingly concerned about his partner’s whereabouts.


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High on the trail leading into Devil's Hole, Kid Curry watched and listened from the cover of the large shrubbery growing alongside the mountain trail. As he’d hoped, the conversation he was eavesdropping on finally turned to the subject he’d been waiting to hear.

“Do you think Kinsey knows?” The redhead asked, nervously.

“How could he, Cooper, unless you told someone besides me?” his blond companion answered.

“I think he knows,” Cooper muttered.

“Well, what if he does?”

“He’ll kill me, that’s what,” Cooper admitted, painfully.

“Well, it’d be your own fault, you knew the rules.”

“I didn’t break the rule, exactly,” Cooper hedged.

“No? What do you call leaving a witness alive?”

“I didn’t expect anybody to be in that car when I climbed in. I was going through to get to the passenger car and there she was, holding that little baby. I just couldn’t shoot her.”

Kid’s body stiffened and he leaned forward, his senses suddenly alerted. Catherine—they know she’s alive.

“She didn’t see nobody but me. I told her to hide there in that car and not come out or make a sound.”

“White said anybody who sees even one of our faces doesn’t live to tell about it, or every one of us is in trouble,” the blond insisted.

The sound of a horse coming up the trail hushed the conversation.

“Howdy, boys,” Kinsey greeted the two young men.

“Howdy, Mr. Kinsey,” the boys replied uneasily.

“I want to thank you for telling me about that little problem, Dawkins,” Kinsey said with a broad smile.

Cooper’s eyes went wide as he stared at his friend.

“But now I have two problems,” Kinsey’s smile faded. “That girl back in Laramie and two men that know I left a witness behind. I don’t like anybody makin’ me look bad.”

Kinsey drew his gun and pointed it at Dawkins.

Kid rested his hand on the butt of his revolver and cautiously made his way closer to the men on the trail.

Dawkins’ eyes were now as filled with fear as Cooper’s had been. “Mr. Kinsey, I didn’t tell nobody but you, honest.”

“Good, that’s all I wanted to know,” Kinsey said, smiling again. He shifted his weight as though to return the gun to his holster, but in a split second raised the gun again and fired. Dawkins stumbled backward from the impact, and stared wide eyed as a red stain appeared on his chest. Slowly, he slumped to the ground, his eyes still staring lifelessly.

“Now, Cooper, you see what happens when you don’t follow orders? You get other people killed,” Kinsey scolded, as though talking to a small boy.

“I—I didn’t mean—to get no one killed,” Cooper stammered.

“Of course not, you just didn’t follow orders, and you know what happens then,” Kinsey raised his gun again.

“Hold it, Kinsey,” a strong voice sounded from behind the man.

“What—” the gunman turned and glanced back, into the face of Kid Curry.

Kid stood facing him, his gun also drawn and pointing at Kinsey’s chest.

“Stay out of this, Curry, it ain’t none of your business,” Kinsey declared. “I keep the men in line, and if they get outta line, I take care of ‘em.”

“I think you’ve taken care of quite enough, now I’m taking care of things,” Kid stood his ground and did not waver.

“Why don’t we let White settle this when he gets back,” Kinsey suggested.

Kid remained silent for a moment, as though considering the suggestion. “I don’t think so,” he replied finally.

“Well, what do we do about this then?” the other man asked.

“You or me, Kinsey,” Kid responded.

The gunman nodded slowly, “Okay, Curry, why don’t we go back down the trail a ways to where it opens up. We’ll have Cooper count to three.” As Kinsey spoke, he slowly lowered his gun and turned slightly away.

Kid’s eyes never left the man’s gun hand, and when he saw the man suddenly grip the gun tighter, he fired—leaping to the side as he did so.

Kinsey’s bullet flew straight and unobstructed into a tree a few yards down the trail.

Curry’s bullet found its target.

“Didn’t…think…you were that fast,” the hired killer choked out, as he lay in the dirt, bleeding.

Kid stood over him and put his boot over the man’s gun, pushing it out of his reach. The precaution was unnecessary, as the man on the ground attempted to suck in a breath, and then lay still.

Neither man standing on the trail spoke for a while. Finally, Cooper broke the silence. “What are you going to do to me?” he asked simply.

Kid looked at the young man and sighed. “You know, Heyes and I never allowed anyone who rode with us to hurt the passengers, and they never did.”

“I—I know, I heard all about the Devil’s Hole Gang,” the young man said, admiration and respect showing through in his voice. “How’d you manage it?”

“We didn’t let men like him in the gang. Did you tell anyone else, besides Dawkins there, about what happened on the train? About leaving a woman alive?”

Cooper shook his head shakily. Kinsey had asked Dawkins that very question right before he shot him.

Kid nodded slowly. “Okay, forget it ever happened. Don’t say another word about it. Now help me get those two over their horses so I can take ‘em back and bury them.”

The young man let out the breath he’d been holding. “What are you going to tell White and the others?”

“Kinsey and I had it out. I was faster. He backed Kinsey and I had to shoot him too.”

Cooper looked confused. “But why would you say you killed Dawkins?”

“Do you want to explain why Kinsey killed him?”

“Well, no,” Cooper said slowly.

“Besides, White seems to like killers,” Curry added, sarcastically.

The ride back down the trail into Devil’s Hole was made in silence. Curry rode in front, leading the two horses that carried the bodies of Dawkins and Kinsey. Cooper followed, reflecting on the fact that he had just seen the infamous Kid Curry in action and lived to tell about it. Oddly, he felt none of the fear and uneasiness that he’d always felt in Kinsey’s presence.


Chapter Nine


The sound of four horses coming down the trail got the attention of the outlaws who had been working around the corral. The men, who had been expecting to see White or Kinsey leading the group of riders, stopped what they were doing and stared as Kid rode in leading two horses with dead men draped over the saddles. The outlaws looked nervously at each other, none of them speaking.

“Kinsey and me had it out,” Kid announced to the group, not waiting for their questions. “It seemed he thought there was only room for one gunfighter in this gang. Dawkins backed him, now they’re both dead. Do any of the rest of you have a problem with that?”

A chorus of mumbled “no’s” filled the air.

“What’s White gonna say?” one of the younger men piped up.

“White needs a gunman. He had Kinsey, now he’s got me. It shouldn’t make any difference to him.”

The men looked from one to the other, nodding and shrugging. “I figure he’ll be just as happy ‘bout Kid Curry riding with us as he was ‘bout Tom Kinsey,” a new voice said loudly.

Curry nodded, “I’d figure so.” He looked at the man who’d spoken.

Mike Ridley stepped forward. “Never knew you as much of a killer, Kid. You got the stomach for what White wants done on these jobs?”

Kid gestured nonchalantly toward the bodies draped across the horses. “Does it look like I got a problem?” he asked casually.

“We’ll see,” Ridley responded.

“Why don’t a couple of you help Cooper bury those two before the buzzards catch wind of ‘em,” Kid said sharply. “I’m gonna get a drink.” He dismounted and headed toward the cabin where the men kept the alcohol. Only after he’d left the group of men behind, did he let his eyes search area for Heyes. He saw him standing near the door of the bunkhouse. The two men locked eyes for a moment, and then Heyes looked away. Kid turned back toward the make-shift saloon and headed in.

After Kid had poured himself a whiskey and downed the first shot, he saw Heyes enter the room and walk toward him. He poured himself another as Heyes sat down next to him. The two men sat in silence for a few minutes while Kid sipped the second drink.

“Well? Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?” Curry asked finally.

“I figure you’ll tell me if you want to,” Heyes replied simply.

“Heyes, go ahead and ask.”

“Ask what?”

“Ask me if I went up there because I wanted to kill him.”

Heyes looked back with a neutral expression on his face, and simply shook his head.

“Don’t you want to know?”

“No,” Heyes said after a moment. “I don’t need to. I’ve known you my whole life, and if you killed those men, then you had a damn good reason and that’s good enough for me.”

Kid sighed and looked down at his drink. “He shot that boy and he was about to shoot the other one. I stepped in and made it my fight, but it was a fair fight.”

“I told you I knew that,” Heyes said quietly.

The calm of the room was suddenly broken by the banging of doors as two men stormed into the room. White, Ridley, and Shorty stopped directly in front of the two seated men and glared at them.

“I’m assuming this is about Kinsey?” Curry asked calmly.

“Damn right, this is about Kinsey,” White spat back. “Do you have any idea how much of this operation he was responsible for?”

“The killin’ mostly,” Curry replied.

“He made sure nobody could identify the gang, and nobody got caught,” Shorty said, accusingly.

“The Kid and I robbed trains and banks for ten years and we never got caught. If you want somebody to handle security for you—he’s your man.”

White looked from Heyes to Curry, his eyes settling on the gunslinger’s face. “Okay,” he said finally, “but you take your orders directly from me. You do exactly as I say, is that clear?”

Kid held the other man’s gaze without blinking. “Absolutely,” he stated firmly.

“Alright then, let’s go over the details of the next job.” He moved to a table and sat down, followed by Ridley and Shorty. Heyes and Curry joined them at the table.

“There’s a train running through Westbrook, two days ride from here. It’s headed to Denver with a payroll for one of the mines. There won’t be any passengers with valuables on board, so they don’t think we’ll hit them. The payroll wasn’t publicized so nobody else knows they’ll be carrying it.” White paused and looked at the other men. “I have the combination.”

Heyes let out a low whistle. “That’s quite a bit of information for only being gone, what—seven or eight hours? Your contact must have met you at the entrance to the canyon.”

“Never mind about my contact. His identity stays with me, and me alone, that’s my insurance,” he smiled and glanced at Ridley, who shifted uncomfortably.

“You should trust me, White, I’m the one out there on those trains taking all the risks,” Ridley said irritably.

“I do trust you,” White smiled, “I trust you to do your job, and let me do mine.” He sat back in his chair and looked at the men sitting around the table with him. “The four of you will board the train when it stops for water, just five miles south of Westbrook. There will only be one guard in the car with the safe. The door is locked from the outside, but you can fix that with a little dynamite. How many more men will you need to handle the rest of the train?”

“Two,” Ridley said, at the same time Heyes answered “Four.”

“Four,” Heyes repeated, “so we can cover the rest of the train before any of them know what’s happening. It’s safer that way.”

“Alright, I’ve got enough men for that,” White agreed.

Ridley shot an angry look at Heyes, but said nothing.

“You said two days ride, where do we spend the night?” Curry asked.

“There’s a town in the valley. It’s not much of a town really, just a saloon and a general store. We keep them well paid and they don’t ask a lot of questions.”

“They got girls in that place,” Shorty injected, with a wink.

White shrugged. “Some of the boys like to let off a little steam the night before a job. When you’re finished on the train—” he turned to Curry, “I don’t want any witnesses, do you understand?”

Curry nodded, “Sure, I understand,” he said simply.

“Good, that’s your job. No witnesses and no one follows you.”

The men discussed the final details, and when they were finished, Heyes and Kid headed back to the bunk house.

“What are you going to do when we’re on that train and it comes time to do your job?” Heyes asked when they were out of earshot of the others.

“You’ll have to think of something before then, that’s your job,” Kid said wryly.


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Later that night, Heyes and Kid sat together near an open camp fire out in front of the cabins. It was the first opportunity they’d had to be alone and talk since White had presented his plan. Most of the men had retreated to the saloon and were drinking or playing cards.

“I’m worried about Ridley,” Curry was saying. “He’s a wild card in this. I can’t tell if he’s loyal to White or just in it for himself.”

“He’s loyal to whoever pays him the biggest cut, all we have to do is make it worth his while.”

“I hope you’re right,” Curry said, doubtfully. “So what’s the plan?”

“I’m going to figure out a way to make White think his contact has fed him bad information—send White back looking for him.”

“And then you follow White back to his contact?”

“That’s about it,” Heyes said, simply.

“What about Jennings and Blackburn? Those two detectives want to know what we’ve got planned. How are we going to tell them? There ain’t no telegraph office in that town where we’re spending the night before the robbery.”

“I’ve been thinking about that too,” Heyes scowled. “I’d like to send word back to Pine Bluffs too, tell Caldwell what’s going on.”

“Heyes, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s those railroad detectives. What if they are the ones behind this?”

“Kid, that doesn’t make any sense. They wouldn’t have sent us in here to stop the gang if they were profiting from the robberies.”

“What if Blackburn is White’s contact and sending us up here was Jennings’ idea?”

“If Blackburn was the contact, then why didn’t he just tell White to kill us when they met this morning? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Unless,” Kid suggested, “they wanted us to take the fall for the robberies and give White a chance to escape?”

“White can ride out of here any time he wants, and take all the money he wants with him.”

“But what if it is them, what if nobody at Midwest really knows we’re on their side?” Kid pressed.

“We’ll just have to hope that’s not the case, or else we’re in big trouble,” Heyes stared into the fire. “I’m gonna take a walk, he said finally.”

Curry knew when to give his partner time to think. “I’ll see you later then,” he said, not getting up.

A few minutes later, Kid heard a man approaching.

“Hey, there you are!” Shorty called out. “Why are you out here when all the fun’s inside?”

“Oh, just kinda nice to sit here and enjoy the peace and quiet,” Curry told him.

“Say, what’s it like to be back here? I bet it’s a whole lot better than workin’ some cattle ranch.”

Horse ranch, he almost corrected, but it didn’t matter. “It feels good, Shorty, just like coming home,” Curry said quickly. “I’m getting too old to bust my back breaking horses.”

“Well, you sure ain’t getting too old to use that six-gun of yours. I saw Kinsey use his, and any man that can beat him, well, there just can’t be a man better than that.” Shorty shook his head in appreciation.

“Thanks Shorty, it always was the one thing I did best.”

“Are you going to ride with us for a while?”

“I suppose so. A couple of big jobs with you boys and I’ll be set.”

“Yeah, White, he sure knows how to set ‘em up. He’s real anxious for you to ride with us too. He ain’t so sure about Heyes though.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“He don’t need no other ‘leader,’ he does the plannin’ and he’s got Ridley too.”

“You think he’d want me to stay? Even if Heyes wasn’t here?” Curry asked.

“Oh sure, he knows talent when he sees it.”

Curry laughed. “Well, that’s a switch, usually people want Heyes and not me.”

“You could have a real bright future with us, Kid,” Shorty assured him.

“Thanks Shorty, I think I’ll go join some of that action you were telling me about.”

The two men strode toward the saloon and the sound of laughter and boisterous shouting.


Chapter 10


“Hit me,” Heyes said.

Ridley was dealing and Heyes was seated across from his partner, with Shorty and two other young gang members between them. The men had ridden into the small town, if you could call it a town, late that afternoon. Their horses were boarded at the only livery stable in town and the six men had been playing blackjack in the saloon that doubled as the town’s only hotel since early evening.

A small blond boy named Cole, shifted in his seat when Ridley dealt Heyes a five of clubs. Added to the six of diamonds already in front of him, the hand looked promising. Heyes gently laid the two cards he held in his hand onto the table and slid them under his bet. What Cole lacked in stature, he made up for in grit; he could ride, shoot, and drink with the toughest of the men. “Hit me too,” he said steadily.

Ridley tossed a queen of spades onto the table and Cole swore softly as he threw his cards down on the table.

The boy seated on Coles left, laughed, and slapped his knee. “Cole, that’s the third time in a row you busted,” he said loudly.

“Didn’t know you could count that high, Buck,” Cole said threateningly, and started to rise.

“Settle down,” Curry said sharply, and the boys, reluctantly, backed down. “Why don’t you two go relieve Cooper and Jackson, you both look like you could use a little fresh air.” Both boys had been drinking heavily and he was beginning to wonder if they would be a liability on the raid the next night. Neither boy had ridden with the gang before, but had been anxious to go, when White picked them from the group back at the Hole.

Buck stumbled toward the door and Cole followed, bumping into the other boy, which resulted in Buck taking a swing at him. The two began to exchange blows, eliciting hoots and hollers from the men in the room. When the boys fell over and began wrestling on the floor, Heyes rolled his eyes and stood. Lifting the pitcher of beer from the table, he took a few steps toward the brawling youths and emptied the pitcher over their heads.

The boys looked up in shocked surprise while Heyes glared down at them. “You were told to go outside, now get,” he said sternly.

“Do like the man says, boys,” Ridley called out.

The young men complied, and Heyes returned to the table.

“Next time, you let me give the orders,” Ridley warned, giving Heyes a hard look.

The former leader of the Devil’s Hole gang stared back, his expression darkening.

“How about switching to poker, I’ve had just about enough of blackjack,” Shorty announced loudly.

“Sure,” Heyes said, a smile slowly returning to his face.

Curry let out the breath he’d been holding and signaled to the young saloon girl who’d been hovering close to the table. “Honey, bring us another pitcher?” he asked, flashing a smile.

The girl returned with the pitcher and set it on the table, smiling at Curry as she brushed against his leg. “Anything else?” she asked, laying her hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe later,” he replied, giving her a wink.

The other men chuckled and began filling their mugs.

The girl smiled and returned to the bar.

“I think I’ll make sure those two relieve Cooper and Jackson and don’t start brawling again,” Kid said, standing and glancing around the room. Things were quiet, and the men would probably be playing cards for several hours, before most of them would find a bed, either alone or with company, in the upstairs rooms of the establishment. “Deal me out for a hand or two,” he added, stepping away from the table.

“Let me know if anything looks suspicious?” Ridley asked, and Curry nodded.

Heyes watched his partner walk through the batwing doors of the saloon. He was limping, Heyes observed with dismay. Except after long days in the saddle or unusually hard work at the ranch, Curry rarely showed any evidence of his leg injury from two years ago. Why is he limping now? Heyes wondered. They hadn’t been doing anything strenuous for several weeks. The heavy burden on his mind taking a toll on his body perhaps? Heyes glanced at the other men at the table. None of them seemed to have noticed anything, as all were focused on the cards and the money on the table.

Curry met the two young gang members walking down the street. Both boys looked cold and hungry.

“Did you see anything out there?” Curry asked, glancing toward the edge of town.

“Naw, heard a few coyotes though,” Cooper answered.

The town was well situated, slightly higher than the surrounding area, and with a full view of the valley. Any riders or wagons approaching the town could be seen for quite a ways, even at night if the moon was bright enough. The little town was one of the few truly “lawless” towns in Wyoming. Too small for a local sheriff, a marshal visited the town once a month. Any man was welcome, as long as he laid a little money down, and no questions were asked. The shotgun behind the bar kept things from getting out of hand.

With the outlaw gang suspected of taking refuge in Devil’s Hole, it was surprising that lawmen weren’t sweeping all towns in the foot hills and surrounding area. That was one of the reasons Ridley had decided to post look-outs through the night—just in case.

“Go on inside, the men are just starting up a new poker game,” Curry said to Jackson. The boy nodded gratefully and both boys headed for the bright light emanating from the saloon.

“I wanna talk to you,” Curry said, holding out his arm to block Cooper’s path. Surprised, and somewhat fearful, Cooper nodded and waited, as Jackson disappeared from view.

“You’ve been on a couple of train jobs with those boys?” Kid began, and Cooper nodded.

“Tell me how they behave.”

“What do you mean?” Cooper asked, confused.

“Do they follow orders? Act like renegades? Do they act like they’re afraid, or enjoying the power?

“Oh, well, different ways I guess. Ridley gives the orders and Shorty backs him up. Shorty don’t do nothin' unless Ridley tells him to. Jackson and the others,” his mind seemed to drift for a moment, “Foster, McGill, Dawkins, they’re all dead now, but we all just followed orders. We made sure nobody came out of any of the other cars and watched to see that no riders were coming. Kinsey waited until we were all done, and then, well, he did his job. He didn’t take orders from Ridley though; I think Ridley was afraid of him.” The boy stopped and looked at Curry. “There won’t be any passengers on this train, will there? Just a few railroad men?”

Kid nodded, “That’s what White said.”

“Good,” Cooper said, looking down.

“Cole and Buck haven’t been out on a job yet?” Kid asked, returning to his questions.

“No, just me and Jackson.”

“What about the money, does Ridley hold it all?”

Cooper nodded again. “We’re not allowed to have any of it, not ‘till we get our share later.”

“Humph,” Curry snorted, “seems like Ridley runs a pretty tight ship.”

“I figure you can do what you want though, like Kinsey did.”

Kid smiled, “I suppose a little privilege comes with being fast with one of these,” he said as he tapped the gun resting on his hip. “How good is Ridley? I haven’t seen him shoot.”

“He’s okay, but he never tried anything with Kinsey, nobody did.”
“Maybe he needs to know that Heyes is pretty good with his six-gun too.” Curry observed. “Don’t tell Ridley I was asking about all this,” he added.

“No, sir,” Cooper replied, giving the older man a serious look. “Mr. Curry, can I tell you something?”

“Sure,” Kid said, wondering what the boy was going to say.

“I always really admired you, I mean, you were sort of my hero, so…it’s a real honor to ride with you.”

Kid turned away, troubled by the boys words.

Cooper continued, “You always made it look so easy, you and Heyes. You got all that money and then never got caught. I thought maybe I’d do that—make lots of money and then just go start a ranch or something.”

Kid shifted uncomfortably. If he and Heyes did their jobs right, they’d be sending this boy and the others to the gallows for their part in the robberies. “Well, that doesn’t always work out. Most men that rob trains end up dead or in jail. We still might,” he added.

“Oh, I know it’s dangerous, that’s why I’m glad you and Heyes are with us now. I know you hardly ever lost a man when you were leading your gang.”

Kid couldn’t look the boy in the eye. “We did our best. Let’s go back in there before they get too far into that game,” he said quickly, changing the subject.

Cooper grinned and headed for the saloon. Slowly, Kid followed, limping a little more than he had before.

“Hey, where you been?” Shorty asked loudly, as the two men entered the saloon.

“Just checking the area,” Kid lied smoothly, “don’t want any unexpected guests tonight.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Ridley nodded his agreement.

The men settled into their game and ordered more beer and whiskey. As the night wore on, the voices grew louder, the jokes grew cruder, and the conversation turned to the few women that continued to serve drinks and display themselves in front of the men.

“Which one you gonna take Heyes?” Ridley asked with a sly grin.

Heyes stared back at Ridley, but said nothing. He didn’t know what Charlotte was doing right now, whether she was thinking about him, whether she would wait for him. They hadn’t parted on good terms, and he wondered if his decision to track down this gang had ruined the best chance he’d had at happiness in a long time.

“Well?” Ridley prompted, “Which one Heyes?”

“Him? He never touches women the night before a job, thinks it’s bad luck or something,” Curry laughed and tossed back the shot of whiskey that had just been poured.

“Suit yourself,” Ridley retorted, “that just leaves more for the rest of us to pick from.”

Heyes glanced at his cousin, a slight smile on his lips, Thanks Kid.

“Well I don’t think it is bad luck,” Jackson spoke up, looking hungrily around the room.

“Me neither,” Shorty said quickly.

The slender brunette who’d brought the drinks leaned closer to Kid. She rested her arm on his shoulder, and waited for a response.

Shorty looked at the girl, and then at Kid. “Well, if you ain’t gonna take her I think I will,” Shorty slurred. He’d been drinking heavily all evening and almost toppled his chair over as he pushed it away from the table to stand up.

Kid felt the girl’s body stiffen but her face remained masked with a stiff smile. “Now Shorty, I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna, I was just finishing my whiskey,” Curry said calmly.

“Fine, I’ll get another one then.” He staggered toward the center of the saloon, grabbing an older red head around the waist.

The men at the table snickered quietly. The woman wasn’t the prettiest, or the youngest girl in the room, but with the amount of liquor the man had consumed, he didn’t seem to notice.

Heyes watched his partner stand and then head toward the stairs, his arm around the shoulders of the brunette. He tried not to let his concern show in his face. He knew that Eliza’s death was still weighing heavily in his partner’s heart, and couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between this girl and Eliza. She looked remarkably like Eliza had when Heyes had first met her ten years before.

“I think I’ll take a walk outside,” Heyes announced, noticing that most of the others were focused on the women now.

None of the men paid any attention to him as he exited the saloon. He walked slowly down the street, looking into the doorways and down the alleyways. Before he’d gone too far down the street, a man stepped out of the shadows.

“Over here, Heyes,” Jennings’ voice called out softly.

“You’re pretty good,” Heyes observed, after he’d followed Jennings into the alley. “There must be a dozen towns a day’s ride from the Hole that we could have stopped in.”

“Well, like you said, I’m good,” Jennings replied coolly. “So what’s your plan?”

“We stop a train tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon, outside of Westbrook. We open the safe and take a payroll. There won’t be any killing.”

Jennings looked impressed. “How are you going to stop the killing?”

“They had a gunman named Kinsey who did the shooting, he isn’t with the gang anymore,” Heyes said simply.

“Dead?” Jennings asked.

Heyes nodded.

The railroad detective smiled broadly. “Alright, I’ll have men on the train, they’ll be told to take everyone alive, if possible, but keep your heads down just in case.”

“You can’t do that,” Heyes objected. “You won’t get the leader. He’s calls himself ‘White’ because of his white hair. He never goes along on the robberies. Ridley meets him afterward and gives him the money, and then they both meet up with the rest of the gang and give the men their cut.”

“We’ll have to arrest him when he meets his man then,” Jennings reluctantly agreed.

“What about the rest of the gang?”

“With the two leaders out of the way, you can take over and bring them back here, we’ll be waiting.”

Heyes nodded, “Alright, you stay out of the way during the robbery then, and I’ll find a way to follow Ridley and lead you to White.

“Thank you, Heyes,” Jennings said, extending his hand. “Midwest Railroad and its passengers owe you a great deal. I will personally see that you are well rewarded for your heroic actions.”

Heyes shook the other man’s hand. “All I want is for this murderous gang to be brought to justice.”

“I’ll see you in a few days,” Jennings added, as they parted.


Chapter 11


The most dangerous part of a train robbery was the initial contact—boarding the train. No matter how well planned or how thorough the research, there were no guarantees on how the boarding would go. No one could predict how the men on the train would react. Heyes relaxed slightly, once they had the men in the engine covered, and the rest of the train checked for guards and passengers. They had found only three additional men and relocated them to the engine. Cole and Buck and been assigned to tie the men up and watch them until the safe had been successfully opened.

Ridley and Heyes waited impatiently, while Shorty placed a few sticks of dynamite under the lock on the freight train door and lit the fuse.

Cooper and Jackson were left to watch the horses and make sure none of them ran off when the dynamite blew.

Kid rode the length of the train and back again, keeping watch and looking for anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that was unusual was how deserted the train was. There were very few men on board and very little security. He marveled at White’s ability to find a job like this, it would be the easiest job he’d ever pulled.

The dynamite blew, and when the smoke and debris settled, a neat hole in the car door was revealed, precisely where the latch and lock used to be.

“Cover me, Curry,” Ridley ordered, as he pulled the door open.

Kid dismounted and followed Ridley to the car. He drew his gun and waited for the guard to show himself. When no one came out, he approached the opening, slowly, with his gun raised. As the afternoon sun poured in, the safe could be seen sitting against the back of the car. There was no guard in the car.

Heyes grinned, “Good work, Shorty, let’s go take a look at that safe,” he said, stepping toward the car.

“Hold on, Heyes, I’ll open the safe,” Ridley said, pushing in front of the older man and reaching to open the long sliding door.

Ridley pulled himself into the car and approached the safe. Heyes and Kid stood against the open door, watching Ridley, and also scanning the countryside for approaching riders. The outlaw leader settled down in front of the safe and pulled out the paper he’d been given by White. Heyes and Kid watched, silently, as Ridley turn the dial. First left, then right, counting off the numbers.

“What’s this?” Ridley called out angrily, as he stood and stepped back from the safe. Heyes and Kid jumped into the car and peered into the safe. Shorty was at the car door in three long strides and joined the others in staring into the safe. It was empty, completely and utterly empty.

“I don’t understand,” Shorty complained. “Is there another safe?”

“Maybe,” Heyes said with a scowl, “but this is the one White told us to open. The combination worked on this safe.”

A dark look came over Ridley’s face. “We’ve been set up,” he stated flatly. “Get back to the horses and let’s get out of here. Curry, go get rid of the witnesses.”

“But what about the money? We can’t leave without getting some money?” Shorty stared, dumbfounded, at the others.

Heyes and Kid exchanged a glance, and then jumped out of the car. “Shorty, somebody was expecting us to stop this train, and that means there will probably be a posse heading out here any minute,” Heyes said.

“I’m not waiting around for a posse to show up,” Kid stated, mounting his horse, as Heyes did the same.

As if on cue, they heard the thundering of hooves and saw a cloud of dust at the crest of the hill, only few hundred yards in front of the train. Ridley and Jackson rode off toward the other side of the valley. Cooper looked at the two remaining horses and then toward the front of the train, where he could now see Cole and Buck running in their direction.

“Don’t—“ Kid began, but Cooper had already grabbed the reins and was riding toward the men.

“Damn,” Kid swore, following and drawing his gun.

“Too many to hold off!” Heyes yelled, as he watched with dismay. Then he too, followed and fired toward the approaching riders.

Cooper reached the two men and circled around them. Grabbing hold of the horses, they scrambled to mount them. Buck made it up and settled into the saddle. Cole struggled, as his horse reared, and he couldn’t get his foot in the stirrup. Bullets were now flying close enough to reach their targets.

“Come on,” Heyes yelled again, as a bullet nearly grazed him.

The four men on horseback rode away, while Cole continued to struggle to get control of his horse. Buck suddenly cried out, and slid from his horse. They could hear Cole firing his gun and shouting, then a cry and silence. Bullets were still flying around the riders. Kid felt a hot searing sting on his arm, but he kept riding, turning frequently, and firing back at the pursuers.

Ridley, Shorty, and Jackson spun their horses around and returned, as additional riders were spotted coming from the other side of the valley. Heyes and Kid veered left and headed up toward the foothills. Cooper and the others followed.

Ridley, now at the back of the group, suddenly jerked forward, but maintained his balance and continued riding. Then, without warning, Shorty’s horse went down, leaving horse and rider sprawled across the trail. Two men were hit as the group converged on Shorty. The distraction slowed the pursuers and the outlaws urged their horses faster.

The outlaws managed to lose the posse shortly after dark. They made a hasty camp and surveyed the damage. Ridley was seriously wounded from a bullet that had entered his back. He lay on the ground now, moaning, and the others wondered how he had managed to stay on his horse. They all knew, without a doubt that he would not be able to get back on his horse, and probably would not make it through the night. Jackson had also taken a bullet in his leg. With a little care, he might survive. Curry had suffered only a graze on his arm, which Heyes wrapped tightly with rags torn from his shirt.

Cooper sat with Jackson and Ridley while Heyes and Kid walked away to talk.

“He’s not gonna make it,” Kid remarked, stating the obvious.

“I know,” Heyes nodded.

“That posse wasn’t planning on taking anyone alive—us included,” Kid added.

“I know,” Heyes said again.

“So now what?”

“I don’t know,” Heyes mumbled.

Kid glared at his partner. “So who set us up? White? His contact? Jennings and Blackburn?”

“Yeah,” Heyes replied.

“Well, which one?” Curry demanded.

“I don’t know,” Heyes said again.

Kid let out a disgusted grunt and turned to head back to the others.

“Hey, what did you think you were doing back there?” Heyes called after him.

“What do ya mean?”

“Covering Cooper while he rode back to get Cole and Buck. Have you forgotten which side we’re on?” Heyes exclaimed, frustrated.

“I know which side I’m on,” Kid countered.

“Don’t forget why we’re here,” Heyes warned.

“Don’t worry,” Kid said bitterly, “there’s no chance of that.”

“I have to talk to Ridley,” Heyes said suddenly, and made his way back to the spot where the injured man was resting.

“How are you feeling,” he asked, squatting down next Ridley.

“Not…too good…Heyes,” Ridley replied, his breathing labored.

“You know it had to be White or his contact at the railroad that set us up,” Heyes began slowly.

Ridley nodded and closed his eyes.

“Where is he?” Heyes pressed. “Where were you supposed to meet him?”

“John…son’s…store,” he forced out.

“Johnson’s? The Mercantile next to the saloon? The place we stayed last night?” Heyes showed his surprise.

“Tha’s right,” Ridley choked and coughed.

Heyes and Kid exchanged a glance.

“No law…no tele…graph…” Ridley continued, his voice growing weaker.

Heyes and Kid stood and took a few steps away from the others.

“Do you think White’s really at Johnson’s?” Kid asked quietly.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Heyes assured his friend.

“Kid!” Cooper called out. “I think he’s dying.”

Heyes and Kid looked back at the men huddled on the ground.

Ridley was silent and no longer struggling to breath.

“We should keep riding,” Kid stated.

“Aren’t we gonna bury him?” Cooper asked.

“We don’t have any shovels and the ground is nearly all rock around here. We can pile some stones over him to keep the animals away. Can you ride?” Kid addressed Jackson.

“If I stay here, I’m a dead man. I’ll get on my horse,” he said simply.

“Alright, let’s get to work,” Heyes directed. Curry and Cooper found enough rocks to cover Ridley’s body while Heyes broke camp and helped Johnson get settled on his horse.

Before they rode out, Kid pulled his partner aside. “It’ll take us another day to circle back around to Johnson’s,” Kid observed. “We can move faster alone, we should split up—send them back to Devil’s Hole.”

“The law’s going to want the whole gang. We should turn them in somewhere first,” Heyes said quietly.

“Why? The leaders are all dead. All except for White.”

“That doesn’t matter. Those two still rode on those other jobs.”

“Just how do you suggest we turn them in?” Kid growled, “If we even get close to the law now—they’ll shoot and ask questions later.”

Heyes nodded reluctantly.

“We’re splitting up,” he announced to the others. “The Kid and I are going to Johnson’s, you two head back to the Hole from the north side of the mountains.

Cooper gave Heyes a disappointed look. “Can’t we all go back to Johnson’s together?” he asked.

“No,” Heyes said, sharply, “We’ll be able to slip into town easier if it’s just the two of us. Besides, we all stand a better chance of keeping ahead of that posse if we’re not leaving such a wide trail.”

Cooper nodded reluctantly. “He needs a doctor, that bullet’s still in his leg. I’m going to try and get him some help.”

“Stay away from the big towns,” Kid warned. “Doctors are suspicious of men with bullets in their legs.” He smiled wryly and swung into the saddle.

The four riders parted company. Heyes and Kid rode on alone, hoping they were finally going to be able to finish their job.


000000000


Heyes and Kid had ridden for a few miles when Heyes suddenly pulled his horse to a stop.

“What?” Kid gave his partner an anxious look.

“White’s not going to be at Johnson’s. He’s not going to wait around in a little town like that. He’s going to be waiting somewhere he can hear about what’s going on. Besides, he doesn’t have any reason to hide; no one can connect him to any of the robberies. When he hears how the train job went bad, he won’t be expecting Ridley at Johnson’s.”

“So where then?” Kid asked, nodding as he followed Heyes’ logic.

“Somewhere close,” Heyes frowned, deep in thought. He looked around and then nodded. “Let’s go,” he said, with determination.

“Where? Kid repeated.

“Cross Creek,” Heyes said simply.

“Cross Creek? Where we made our plans with Jennings and Blackburn?”

“That’s the one,” Heyes replied, grimly.

“You think they’re part of this?” Kid asked, already coming to the same conclusion.

“They’re either part of the robberies or they set us up to be killed along with the gang. Either way, my money’s on those two for some answers.”


Chapter 12


Cross Creek was quiet and dark when the two riders walked their tired horses into town.

“Take our horses to the livery,” Heyes said, taking a look around. The local livery stable stood near the end of the street, and on the other side of the street a wooden placard with the words ‘vacancy’ hung in front of a large two story building. “I’ll go get us a room.”

“Do you think they’ve got our descriptions?” Kid asked, warily.

“Hard to say,” Heyes replied. A solemn look crossed over his face. “If word’s gotten around about our involvement in these robberies, the local sheriffs could have our descriptions or even photographs by now. We’ll just have to find White before someone recognizes us. It sure won’t be the biggest risk we’ve taken since we started this little pursuit.”

“Heyes,” Kid began, shifting nervously in the saddle. “You know I’m grateful to you for…”

“I’m not doing this for you, Kid, I told you that,” Heyes said, quietly, and dismounted. “Go see if you can find a stable boy to wake up and let him know he’s got two more to look after.”

Kid nodded, mutely, and led the two horses toward the stable.

“You’re in awful late ain’t ya?” the tall, slight young man commented as he took the reigns from Kid. “Don’t you worry though; I’ll see that your horses get settled in just fine. The boss may charge you for an extra day, even though it’s past midnight. He does that sometimes if horses come in before regular hours in the morning. How many days do you think you’ll—“

“I don’t know,” Kid interrupted. “Just get ‘em settled for now,” he snapped, the words coming out more sharply than he intended.

The boy gave him a startled look and then silently led the horses away.

“Hey, look, I’m just a little tired,” Kid apologized, following after the boy. “I’ll help you get them unsaddled.” The last thing he needed was for the stable boy to be suspicious of him.

They stopped in front of an empty stall and the boy led Heyes’ horse inside. The glow from the lantern the boy carried illuminated the end of the building and Kid looked around at the other horses. One horse in particular seemed to be quite restless. Kid stared at the animal. The large alabaster stallion looked familiar. Blackburn had ridden a horse like that when he and Jennings had accompanied Heyes and him to Cross Creek earlier in the month. Heyes had talked to Blackburn about the animal—saying how the stallion’s temperament reminded him of a horse he had gentled and trained on his ranch.

“That’s a mighty handsome animal; do you know who he belongs to?” Kid asked, lightly.

“Oh, that’s a real shame, I don’t know what’s going to become of him,” the boy answered regretfully.

“What do you mean?” Kid asked, suddenly alert.

“Well, on account of the fact that his owner was killed yesterday. Poor animal, he seems to know something’s wrong too.”

“Killed?” Kid’s face paled and he willed his voice to sound only mildly curious.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear about it? Turns out he was one of them train robbers—even though he worked for the railroad himself,” the boy shook his head in disgust.

Kid hoped that in the dim light, the boy would not see that he had suddenly paled. “Who killed him?”

“Some old guy, used to work for the railroad or something. I guess he was helping ‘em track down the robbers.”

Kid’s heart was racing. “Was anyone else killed or arrested?”

“No, the sheriff sent a posse out after the gang though, they’re on their trail.”

Kid nodded. “Well, that’s good. I heard about those robberies and they seemed pretty bad.”

“Yeah, our sheriff will get ‘em though. Even Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry can’t outrun Sheriff Matson.”

A knot tightened in Kid’s stomach. “He’s out chasing them now is he?”

“Sure is, and he’ll find ‘em too.”

“Well, I hope so. I’d better be getting up to the hotel now. Thanks for looking after the horses.”

“Sure thing mister. Hey, what’s your name?”

“Uh, Jones, Thaddeus Jones,” Kid replied with a thin smile and handed the boy a dollar. “That’s for keeping you up so late,” he added.

“Thanks mister Jones,” the boy’s face lit up and pocketed the dollar.

Kid turned and hurried out of the livery stable. If Blackburn had been the inside man, where was Jennings? Was he in on it too, or had he discovered Blackburn? Who shot Blackburn? Jennings certainly couldn’t be described as old—even by the stable boy—he was barely thirty.

Kid’s head was spinning as he walked toward the hotel. He ascended the steps to the hotel carefully, and opened the door slowly. Gun drawn, he peered around the door only to meet the barrel of his partner’s gun. Both men holstered their weapons after a moment of recognition.

“Got us a key, Kid,” Heyes said quickly, dangling a room key in front of his partner.

“Got us some information,” Kid responded, cryptically.

“Oh?” Heyes asked, his curiosity piqued.

“In the room,” Kid answered, pushing past Heyes and heading for the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder and gave his partner a questioning look.

“Number two,” Heyes replied, “corner room.”

The two men entered the room quietly and closed the door,

“Look, Kid, I already know,” Heyes began. “The desk clerk told me the sheriff led a posse out of town tonight to hunt down the Devil’s Hole Gang. That’s good news.”

“Until they find our trail and follow it right back into town,” Kid added.

Heyes shrugged. “Yeah, so we’ll just have to find White before they get back.”

“You still think he’s here?”

“I don’t know, but I got a feeling.”

“Did he tell you anything else?” Kid asked.

“He said something about one of the gang members getting killed in town, but I don’t know how that can be. Unless, one of the boys from the Hole rode into town.”

“Well, I got a little better information from the stable boy,” Kid told him. “The man that was shot here yesterday was Joe Blackburn. Apparently he was the inside guy feeding White the information.”

Heyes’ eyebrows shot up and surprise registered on his face. “Who shot him? Jennings?”

“I don’t think so, the stable boy said it was an older guy, someone who worked for the railroad…or used to. Maybe Jennings called in reinforcements when he started to suspect Blackburn.”

“Well, that does make things interesting,” Heyes scowled and began to pace. “Jennings didn’t say anything about this when I spoke to him last night.” He shook his head at the thought that it had only been a little over 24 hours ago that they had all been drinking and playing cards. Now five men were dead.

“We should both get a couple of hours sleep. I’ll take first watch,” Heyes said abruptly.

“You sleep first, I have to clean my gun anyway,” Kid countered.

Heyes smiled at that. Kid had cleaned his gun as soon as they’d stopped to rest the horses after fleeing the scene of the robbery. He also knew that the familiar routine of cleaning his gun was something that had seemed to calm the man’s nerves when they were on the run.

“Okay, wake me in a couple of hours. We should leave the room by sunup and start looking for Jennings. And Kid? Don’t forget to wake me up. You need some sleep too. I want you at the top of your game tomorrow.”

Kid gave his partner a wry smile. “I always am.”

“I know,” Heyes said softly, and closed his eyes.


000000000


At first light, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry descended the stairs of the small hotel and looked cautiously around the lobby. The room was completely empty. Evidently the desk clerk had not yet arrived on duty.

“Let’s see if this town has a newspaper. Maybe it will tell us what happened here yesterday.”

“That looks like a spot for breakfast,” Kid suggested, pointing toward building at the end of the street. A sign advertised ‘steak and eggs.’

“After the dried pork and beans we’ve been eating, that sounds damn good,” Heyes said.

The street was still nearly deserted, although there were a few patrons already seated in the small dining room. At the door, Heyes suddenly stopped in his tracks and spun around, grabbing Kid’s arm and roughly pulling him around the corner of the building. It wasn’t until they were in the alley behind the hotel/restaurant that Heyes took his eyes off the boardwalk. One look at his partner’s face and Heyes realized what he had done. Kid glared back as he cradled his right arm and took a couple of deep breaths.

“Kid, I’m sorry, I forgot about your arm.”

“Never mind, Heyes, just tell me what that was all about,’ Kid said through gritted teeth.

Heyes nodded toward the boardwalk and both men peered around the corner. Kid’s eyes widened as he watched the man they knew as ‘White’ casually stroll across the street.

“He was just getting up from the table to leave when we were about to walk in. If he hadn’t had his back to me, he’d have seen me.” Heyes whispered.

White stopped briefly to exchange a word with a man dressed in a fancy suit. As he continued on, another man waved and tipped his hat. As the second man came closer, a silver star was visible on his left chest. White continued down the street and turned into the hotel where Heyes and Kid had spent the night. Both men stared wordlessly at each other.

“I don’t know, Kid, but it looks like White’s on his way to Jennings’ room.”

“Or his own, we don’t even know what name to look for,” Kid added.

“He seems friendly enough with the local townsfolk,” Heyes scowled. “Somehow, I don’t think we’d stand a very good chance going to the law at this point.”

Outside of their hotel, the two men waited and watched. After a few minutes, White stepped back onto the street.

“He’s changed his clothes, he must be staying at this hotel too,” Heyes observed quietly. “Let’s see if we can get a name.”

Heyes strolled casually into the hotel lobby. “Excuse me,” Heyes said to the clerk. “I think I know that man that just stepped outside. Is his name is uh…uh…Wal…Wil…”

“You don’t mean Mr. Pierce?” the clerk said, surprised.

“Mr. Pierce?” Heyes asked.

“Yes, Mr. Benjamin Pierce. I thought everyone in town knew who he was. Oh, but you did arrive late last night, maybe you didn’t hear.”

“Hear what?” Heyes asked, struggling to keep his tone calm and indifferent.

“About the shooting. Mr. Pierce discovered one of the ringleaders of the Devil’s Hole Gang—shot him down in the street yesterday.”

“How did he know the man was one of the gang?” Heyes asked, feigning an innocent curiosity.

“Well, I don’t rightly know,” the clerk said, rubbing his chin for a moment. “But he was one of ‘em alright. He worked for the railroad—that’s how he got the gang the information.”

“Well, looks like I sure missed a lively time here yesterday. Thanks for filling me in.” Heyes tipped his hat politely and headed for the front door.

Kid was standing against the building, watching the street. “Well?” he asked, as soon as Heyes stepped outside.

“It seems our ‘White’ is really Mr. Pierce, and he’s the one who killed Blackburn.”

“What?” Kid gasped. “The stable boy said the shooter was a retired railroad man. What do we do now?”

“Well, going to the sheriff and turning ourselves in doesn’t look very promising.”

“Right,” Kid scoffed. “Who do you think they’d believe? A retired railroad man and local hero, or a couple of outlaws that were seen robbing two trains over the last month.”

“We have to find Jennings. Maybe he’s not part of this and he can vouch for us. I also want to read that newspaper.”

“And if Jennings is in on it?” Kid asked, knowing the answer.

“Mexico isn’t really too bad this time of year,” Heyes said wryly.


Chapter 13


The two former outlaws spent the rest of the day following Pierce from one location to another as he moved from saloon to saloon, having a drink or something to eat. He hadn't done any serious gambling or stayed too long in any one place.

“What do you suppose he’s up to?” Kid exclaimed in frustration, after Pierce had left another bar after only one short drink.

“I don’t know, it’s like he’s just killing time. It’s almost like he’s waiting for someone,” Heyes’ face suddenly lit up. “He’s waiting for us,” he said quickly.

A skeptical frown settled on Kid’s face. “How do you figure that?”

“He just found out his contact double crossed him and sent a posse after the train, but maybe he doesn’t know there was no money in the safe. Maybe he’s waiting for us to find him and give him his cut—or maybe he doesn’t know that Ridley is dead.”

“Or maybe he’s waiting to kill us because Blackburn told him we were working for the law?” Kid said curtly.

Heyes shrugged. “Yeah, maybe that too.”

“Well, anything is better than this hiding in the shadows and waiting,” Kid said, pulling his gun from its holster and checking the rounds. “How do you want to do it?”

“I’ll let him get a look at me and hope he follows me into the alley. You stay out of sight and cover me. I’ll find out what he’s planning to do. If Pierce turns me in, I may need you to break me out.”

Kid nodded. “Good luck,” he said, solemnly.

Heyes waited until Pierce was about to cross the street, and then stepped out from the alleyway. He caught Pierce’s attention and the two men locked eyes for a moment. Heyes ducked into the alley and waited.

Pierce rounded the corner and looked cautiously at Heyes. “I wondered if you were going to show up here. How many men made it?”

Heyes looked at the ground for a moment before answering. “Just me, and two of the boys—Jackson and Cooper. Jackson has some lead in him though. I sent them back to the Hole.”

Pierce studied Heyes for a minute, taking in the news. “Curry’s dead?” he asked finally.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Heyes snapped. “Now I want to know what went wrong. Who double crossed us?”

“I’ve taken care of the problem. That’s all you need to know,” Pierce said simply. “You ride back to Devil’s Hole, tell the others to sit tight until I get there. I have to figure out a new plan—and without Curry, I’ll need a new gunman.”

“I know some people, why don’t we ride out together?” Heyes’ question sounded more like a threat than a suggestion.

Pierce shook his head. “I told you I have things to do first. In case you haven’t noticed it yet, I’m widely respected in this town. One word from me and you’ll be facing a lynch mob. It would be your word against mine. Who do you think the sheriff would believe?”

Heyes had no doubt about the answer. “Alright, I’ll ride out,” he conceded. Turning slowly, he walked toward the corner, half expecting a bullet in his back. If White tries to shoot me, will Kid’s bullet find him first?

At the corner, Heyes let out a sigh of relief and quickly headed to the street. He continued on toward the livery stable, watching the street for any signs of Pierce following him. Taking a detour, he walked behind the livery stable and took a position where he could see the street. Neither Pierce nor Curry came his way. Settling in to wait and watch, Heyes sat down on a barrel and waited.

After a few minutes, Pierce strolled onto the main street and headed for the hotel. After the man disappeared into the building, Heyes returned to the street and waited. After a few minutes, he saw another man that he recognized—William Jennings. Alright, here we go, Heyes decided, wishing he had Kid’s gun by his side.

Heyes darted onto the street and grabbed Jennings from behind. One hand went over the man’s mouth as the other took hold of his right arm and pulled him quickly into the alley.

Heyes spun Jennings around and looked into the man’s face. Wide eyed, Jennings stared back at his abductor. In one quick move, Heyes released Jennings and drew his gun. “Start talking,” he commanded.

“What are you doing?” Jennings asked shakily.

“Somebody set us up—set us up to be shot dead by a posse. Since you were the one I gave the information to, I have to suspect you.”

“It was Blackburn—I didn’t know,” Jennings pleaded. “He insisted on taking the money off the train before you stopped it, and then he must have told the local law to move in.”

Heyes stared menacingly at the detective. “I don’t like being shot at,” he said in a low voice.

“I—I don’t blame you. That wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan.”

“Well, what is the plan now then?” Heyes asked, his gun still leveled at the detective.

“You have to stop Pierce.”

Heyes narrowed his eyes and studied Jennings’ face. “I just walk up to Pierce and tell him he’s under arrest?”

“No, of course not. He’d never give up that easily,” Jennings said quickly. “The only way to stop him is to kill him.”

“I’m not a killer, Mr. Jennings, I never was,” Heyes said with a slow shake of his head. “Why don’t we just go to the sheriff and tell him that the Kid and I were working for the railroad?”

“No, with Blackburn connected with the gang I’ll be suspect too. I have no evidence against the leader except what you can provide.”

“First, tell me what happened to the money from the robbery?”

“I don’t know. Blackburn had it so he must have stashed it somewhere before he got shot.”

“I just talked to Pierce and he didn’t ask about the money. Don’t you think that’s strange? All this for the money and he doesn’t even ask about it?”

“Maybe he thinks you have it,” Jennings’ voice sounded weak.

Heyes’ laugh had no humor in it. “No, he never would have let me walk out of there if he thought I had the money—or knew where it was. That means he has it, but there was no mention of it in the newspaper that came out this morning.”

“I’m sure there’s an explanation,” Jennings replied.

“Uh huh, there is. Pierce already has it—and you gave it to him. You had to be in on this. Both you and Blackburn had access to the declaration of valuables from the passengers. Blackburn had the key to the safety deposit box, but only you spoke to the railroad president. If Blackburn had been doing this by himself—he wouldn’t have let you go to Howard. So that either means you two are in it together, or you’ve been doing this by yourself. Either way, I’m assuming Howard doesn’t know anything about this. The only thing to wonder about now, is whether you and Blackburn were partners, or you were working alone. But it really doesn’t matter right now, does it?” Heyes’ face showed almost no emotion as he cocked his gun.

Jennings sighed and slumped against the building, then began to speak softly.

“He got suspicious when you first mentioned the insurance declarations. Started watching me like a hawk. He thought maybe you two were in on it too. He took the money off the train and sent the posse in to wait for you. I suggested we tell the posse to let at least a couple of the gang get away, that way they’d lead us to the ringleader. That convinced Blackburn for a while that maybe I wasn’t really the inside man.”

“Then what?” Heyes prodded.

“After the gang killed the guards and crew on the train, no one would know the money had been removed. You’d think Pierce had set you up, and kill him. I would, of course, arrive too late to stop the killing, but I’d arrest you two. No one will believe that you were helping the railroad. I’d keep the money and no one would ever know.”

“The plan hinged on us doing a lot of killing for you.”

“You’re outlaws, killers—I didn’t think you’d hesitate. When you left those railroad men alive you put a wrinkle in the plan. Since there were witnesses left alive, the railroad knew that Blackburn and I took the money. When Pierce shot Blackburn, he told me to tell the railroad that Blackburn had been feeding information to the gang and I had discovered him, but he wouldn’t give me the money back. Without returning the money, my career will be over.”

“Isn’t Piece afraid you’ll identify him as the gang leader?”

“You don’t understand. It’s complicated,” Jennings looked down at the ground.

Heyes waited.

“If I implicate him, I implicate myself, Pierce is my father. My real name is William Pierce. Jennings was my mother’s name,” he added softly.

Heyes stared at the younger man.

“You mean you set your own father up to be murdered? What kind of son would…”

“No,” Jennings interrupted, “What kind of father sets his own son up to take the fall if something goes wrong. To spend my whole life fulfilling his vendetta. You see, he was injured defending the train from a hold-up about ten years ago. Instead of giving him a reward—they fired him. They said he couldn’t do his job any more. It took him years to recover, but he did, and he started planning his revenge from the day the railroad fired him.

“He started grooming me to take a job with the railroad and start working my way up. Once I was in a position to get the kind of information he needed, he began rounding up the others. Ridley, Shorty, and Kinsey. I never knew he planned to kill all those passengers. I thought they were only going to rob them. Once it started, I couldn’t stop it.”

“Why not just stop giving him information.”

“Ha, you don’t know my father. You don’t tell a man like that no. At least I never could.”

Heyes looked at him with sympathy now. As hard as it had been for him growing up without a father, he couldn’t imagine growing up with a monster like Pierce.

“So you came up with a plan?”

“That’s right, send you and Curry in to kill him. At least that’s what I expected you to do. I never figured on you two being so law-abiding.”

“You found out about the Wainwrights,” Heyes said tonelessly, “You knew the Kid’s connection and you set them up to be victims, didn’t you? You expected us to go off in a blind rage and kill the whole gang?”

“Something like that. With Curry’s reputation as a gunfighter, I thought it would be guaranteed.”

“I’m taking you to the sheriff’s office and you’re going to tell the deputy on duty about Pierce. I’ll tell the railroad that you didn’t know what your father was up to, and that you came to us to help apprehend him.”

Jennings hesitated for a moment. “No, it won’t work,” he said finally. “You’ll just have to kill me now. I don’t want to hang.” Jennings began backing away.

“Don’t,” Heyes warned, “I’ll shoot you in the leg. You won’t die, but it will hurt like hell.”

Jennings stopped and gave Heyes a look of defeat.

Heyes breathed a sigh of relief and took a step toward Jennings. Before he reached the other man, a shot rang out and Jennings stumbled backwards and fell. Heyes whipped around and saw Pierce standing a few yards behind him.

“Always was yella,” Pierce scoffed, looking down at his fallen son. “We could have gotten away with a fortune and nobody would have ever known.”

Heyes stared at Pierce, not bothering to veil the disgusted look on his face.

“Drop the gun, Heyes,” Pierce said slowly.

Heyes didn’t move, he continued to point his own gun at Pierce. “You’ll kill me if I do—this way, maybe my bullet will hit home first,” Heyes threatened.

“Somebody heard that shot and will be here to investigate any minute. You can come with me and we’ll start up another gang,” Pierce offered.

“You were right about somebody hearing the shot,” a voice called from the doorway.

Heyes smiled.

“You,” White turned to face the new arrival.

“I thought you were dead?”

“Where’s the money, Pierce,” Curry asked coldly.

“Aha, I knew it. You want your share of the money.” Pierce smiled. “Tell your partner to put his gun away.”

“I don’t think so, Pierce,” Curry said coldly. “Tell us where it is or we go the sheriff and tell him what we know.”

“You won’t do that,” Pierce said, with humor in his voice. “You two will go down with me, no one will ever believe that you were helping the railroad. You’ve burned your bridges, so you might as well join up with me.”

“You’re wrong, there was a letter,” Heyes said smoothly.

“The one in the sealed envelope? Supposedly from the president of the railroad?” Pierce laughed.

“Even if it was a fake, it will still prove that Jennings duped us. It’ll prove what our real intentions were,” Heyes continued.

“I destroyed it,” Pierce said with a smirk.

“Except the letter wasn’t in the safe deposit box.”

“Impossible. I took the key from Blackburn right after I killed him. I opened up the box and removed the letter. Then I burned it.”

“Without opening the envelope.”

Pierce’s smile faded.

“How would you know that?”

“Because if you had, you’d have known I switched the letters. There was a blank piece of paper inside that envelope you burned.”

Pierce’s smile faded. “Where is the letter?” he demanded.

Heyes grinned broadly. “I mailed it to the sheriff in Pine Bluffs for safe keeping. So you see, we do have options.”

“What do you want?” Pierce asked.

“I want the money,” Curry repeated. “Tell me where it is, and I’ll tell my partner not to shoot you.”

Heyes gave his partner a curious glance. What are you doing Kid?

Pierce laughed and a grin spread across his face. “You had the key all along. It’s in the safe deposit box over at the bank. Now, can we put these guns away and go get the money and ride out of here?”

Curry nodded and all three men slowly holstered their guns.

As soon as the guns were put away, all hell seemed to break loose. Men rushed into the alley from both directions, shouting for the outlaws to raise their hands and stand still. Rifles, shot guns, and pistols were all leveled at the men in the center of the alley.


Chapter 14


Pierce, Heyes, and Curry stood in the middle of the alley, surrounded by men with weapons of various kinds—all pointed directly at the men in the center.

Heyes’ heart had skipped a beat when the men rushed in, and it was racing now, calmed only slightly by the steady look Kid was giving him.

A tall man with a thick mustache stepped forward. The town sheriff, returning with the posse, Heyes surmised from the badge on his chest. The deputy that they had seen that morning talking to Pierce was also in the group.

“Heyes, Curry, you two come with me,” the tall man said briskly. Walters, get their guns first. Jim, you take Mr. Pierce down to the jail and lock him up. Smitty, check on that one,” he indicated Jennings, who still lay on the ground, but seemed to be rousing.

Relieved of their guns, the two former outlaws followed the sheriff of Cross Creek down the alley and around the corner into a small corner restaurant. The three men settled into a table in the corner. Deputy Walters, who had accompanied them, waited by the door.

“I’m Sheriff Mahosky, and I take it you’re Hannibal Heyes?”

“Yes sir,” Heyes replied, his heart beginning to beat softer in his chest, he glared at his partner. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“Well,” Curry said with a grin, “I sort of bumped into the sheriff while I was following you and Jennings.”

“Bumped? More like kidnapped,” Mahosky scoffed, but a smile crept onto his hard lined face. “But I wouldn’t have believed you if I hadn’t heard if for myself. Once I caught the gist of what was going on, I went and rounded up the boys. Now, I believe Pierce said something about a safe deposit box key?”

“Oh, yes,” Heyes reached into his boot. He saw the sheriff stiffen and watch him closely as he removed the key. “Here you go,” he said laying the key on the table. “That’s where Pierce said he stashed the money.”

“Alright, we’ll check it out.” Mahosky leaned back and handed the key to Walters, who called for another man at the door.

“I might not have been so agreeable if I hadn’t received a telegram from my cousin’s boy out in Pine Bluffs.”

Kid sat upright in his seat and leaned forward. “You’re Jack’s uncle!” he exclaimed. “He told me he had an uncle that was a sheriff up north.”

“Well, Jack’s mother was my cousin, but she was more like a sister really, because she lived with us after her parent’s died. Jack always called me Uncle John.”

“He said you inspired him to become a sheriff too,” Kid added.

Mahosky nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m not sure I was too happy about that one. The life of a lawman can be a lonely one.”

“Sheriff, if we’re not under arrest then, can we have our guns back?” Heyes asked with a friendly smile.

“Well now, technically you’re in my custody until I get your full statements and clear you of the accusations that have been made against you. There are quite a few witnesses stating that you robbed a train last month outside of Deer Canyon.”

“Uh, yeah, well, that was to convince the gang we’d gone back to outlawing,” Kid said uneasily.

“Jennings said he’d clear it with the railroad. Nobody was hurt. I suppose he never did that though,” Heyes frowned.

“No, but when the full story comes out and the railroad realizes that you’re responsible for apprehending the gang that had been terrorizing their trains, I’m sure they won’t press charges.”

Kid shifted uncomfortably on his chair and rubbed his right arm.

“You’re hurt,” Mahosky noted, looking at the blood on Kid’s sleeve.

“Oh, it’s just a scratch, a bullet almost got me yesterday,” he said dismissively, but the others noticed he was holding his arm stiffly.

“You should see our town doc. With Pierce locked up and Jennings out of the way, things should be pretty quiet.”

“Jennings was Pirece’s son, did you know that?” Heyes asked.

“Yes, I heard that part of the conversation.” I should have sent my men in sooner, but Curry made me promise to wait until he got Pierce to put his gun away.”

“I didn’t want to risk a shootout,” Curry added quietly, “There’s been too much killing lately.”

The sheriff nodded. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. The last member of the gang was found down in Coldwater. It seems he had a bullet in his leg and tried to see a doctor. The doc guessed he might have been one of the hold-up men so he tried to send for help and there was some shooting.”

“What happened?” Kid asked quickly.

“They got him, the wounded gang member. Any idea who he was?”

“Name was Jackson, I don’t know his first name,” Heyes said, his face turning serious. That meant Cooper was the last.

“They’re all dead then,” Curry told the sheriff, not looking at his partner. “All of the men that took part in the robberies were either killed by Kinsey up at the Hole, or were shot after the last robbery.”

“Kinsey? Tom Kinsey?” Mahosky whistled. “I’ve heard of him.”

“He was the gunman for the gang. He’s the one that killed the passengers on the trains they stopped.”

“What happened to him?” the sheriff asked.

“I shot him,” Curry said simply.

“Self defense,” Heyes added quickly.

Mahosky gave Heyes a skeptical look, but nodded. “I see.”

“Hey Sheriff! We got it. It was there just like he said,” an excited man cried out, rushing into the room.

Mahosky smiled. “Good, having the money to return to the railroad will help convince them that you two were really out to stop the gang and not in it for yourselves. Walters will take you to see the doc about that arm,” he added, giving Curry a concerned look. “Then come on over to the Longhorn and I’ll buy you two a big steak dinner. We can get your stories written down tomorrow.”

Heyes and The Kid both gave a relieved sigh, and then stood to leave with the deputy.

As they approached the door, loud shouting could be heard from down the street, and then a single gunshot rang out.

Sheriff Mahosky and Deputy Walters drew their guns and all four men raced into the street. “What happened,” the sheriff yelled, as several stunned men walked towards them.

“It happened so fast,” one of them mumbled.

“What?” the sheriff demanded.

“Pierce, he made a break for it. He had a knife in his boot and managed to cut Harold while he was taking him in the cell. He ran into the street and old Will the blacksmith shot him dead. Shot him in the back.”

Both Heyes and Curry were stunned.

Mahosky sighed and looked at the ground. “Will had a brother who was on the train down in Utah. One of the victims,” he added.

“What will happen to him?” Heyes asked, sadly.

“Hard to say, he could be charged with murder,” The sheriff said, sadly.

“Doesn’t seem right,” Walters muttered.

Without any further talking, Deputy Walters escorted both men to the doctor’s office where The Kid’s arm was cleaned and wrapped with new bandages. The bullet had only grazed the arm, and the doctor told him that although it would cause some discomfort, it should heal up without any further complications.

It was late that night when the two men were finally alone in their hotel room. Although the official statements would follow, Mahosky had insisted on hearing stories from Heyes over dinner. A guard had been posted at the hotel, but Mahosky assured them that it was more for their protection than to guard them. There was still a great deal of confusion and many rumors in the town as to who had actually been behind the train robberies. Two telegrams had been sent to Pine Bluffs—one to Mrs. Hannibal Heyes and one to Sheriff Jack Caldwell.

“Heyes?” The Kid asked, as they were getting ready for bed.

“When did you switch those letters?”

“Oh that. I was bluffing.”

Curry’s jaw dropped as he stared back. “Heyes, you never cease to amaze me.”

“Good, let’s keep it that way,” he grinned and reached to clap his partner on the shoulder, but drew his arm back suddenly as he almost hit The Kid’s injured arm again. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Curry shook his head in a long suffering say. “Heyes, I swear, someday…”

“Kid?” Heyes interrupted.

“Yeah?” came the tired response.

“Why did you tell the sheriff that all of the gang was dead?” The question hung in the air for a few moments before Curry sighed.

“I didn’t think he deserved to hang.”

“Don’t you think that’s for the law to decide?”

“So he can get shot in the back like Pierce?”

Heyes swallowed hard and looked at his friend. “What happens when Cooper shows up alive somewhere and the law starts asking questions? What happens when they ask us about aiding and abetting a wanted man?”

“Well, first of all, the law doesn’t have a description of him and second, he’s not going to be robbing any more trains.”

“How can you say that?”

“I had a little talk with him while we were covering up Ridley’s body. I told him my biggest regret in life was that I hadn’t given up outlawing sooner and raised a family—that if I’d done that, I probably wouldn’t be where I was now. I said he should go away and change his name, get a decent job and never think about joining up with a gang or robbing anyone again.”

“And?”

“And he agreed.”

The Kid turned toward his partner with a sly smile. “Then, I told him that if things were different, and I was back at my ranch, I’d even hire him if he could stay out of trouble for a year or so.”

Heyes stared at his partner. “Kid, he participated in two of those robberies. He was there when Eliza and Joseph were killed, when Catherine—“ Heyes stopped in mid sentence as though a revelation had just come to him. “That’s it—he’s responsible for Catherine being alive. Somehow, he hid her or let her escape, is that it?

Curry’s grin broadened. “Heyes, you continue to amaze me,” was all he said as he climbed into bed.


Epilogue


It had taken nearly two weeks to finish their business in Cross Creek. Executives from Midwest Railroad as well as a U.S. marshal and three local sheriffs all converged on the small town. In the end, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry had been exonerated of any guilt in the recent train robberies, and were in fact, credited with bringing an end to one of the bloodiest crime sprees in Wyoming history.

As they neared the train station in Cheyenne, Heyes became restless. He wanted more than anything to see his wife—and sooner rather than later, but the last time they’d been together, things had been tense. That had been six weeks ago. Despite the telegram indicating that she would meet him at the train station, he was unsure what the outcome would be.

Kid Curry was equally restless. He had received a telegram that said Catherine was well, but just how well he wasn’t sure. The last time he had seen her, she had been in a catatonic state, unable to even respond to his voice. When the train finally came to a stop at the station, both men took a deep breath and stepped out onto the platform.

The first sight to greet Heyes’ searching eyes, was his wife Charlotte, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her look. She looked healthy, she even looked like she’d gained weight, well that was fine with him; she’d been a bit skinny before anyway.

“I have so much to tell you, to tell both of you. I just couldn’t explain it all in a letter. But I did want a chance to talk to you before you got to Pine Bluffs.”

The two men exchanged a worried glance.

“Oh, no, it isn’t like that at all. I know neither of you like to have a lot of fuss made over you, but the whole town absolutely insisted,” Charlotte said quickly.

“Insisted on what?” Curry asked, his eyes scanning the station for his daughter.

“They’re having a parade and celebration as soon as you arrive.”

“Wh—why?” Heyes asked.

“Because, you two are town heroes. You brought that gang to justice and made rail travel safe again for everyone,” she smiled proudly at her husband.

“I think that might be exaggerating things just a bit,” Curry said frowning.

“Well, it’s how everyone feels,” Charlotte added, looking up at her husband. “Oh, Hannibal, can you forgive me for how I acted? I was behaving selfishly, I know. I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to you.”

Heyes wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close, nuzzling his face in her hair. No words were necessary.

“Charlotte, please,” Curry interrupted. “Tell me how Catherine is?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Jed. She’s fine, she’s more than fine, she’s inside the station. The train came in late and she finally went inside to get the baby out of the heat. She came out of her state very quickly after you left, and she and I have been caring for baby Joseph. Jack came by nearly every day to help out.”

Caldwell, Curry grimaced involuntarily. Although he didn’t know a finer young man than the sheriff of Pine Bluffs, he still wasn’t ready to think of his daughter all grown up and maybe thinking of marriage. At that moment, Catherine appeared on the steps of the depot, holding her baby brother. Her face lit up when she saw her father and hurried over to him.

“I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve been so worried about you,” she said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I’ve been worried about you too. How are you?” he asked.

“I’m fine, and so is Joey,” the young girl replied with a smile that looked more put on for her father’s benefit than her own.

“I’m glad,” Curry said, quietly.

“When Charlotte finally told me where you’d gone—and what you were doing—I was angry, she admitted.

Curry’s heart sunk. “Honey, I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me,” he swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

“It’s alright,” she said quickly. “I was angry, but now I understand. If you hadn’t stopped that gang they would have kept on killing and more families would have had to go through what…” Tears welled up in her blue eyes as she held the baby closer and looked at the train the two men had just exited.

“Here let me take Joey for a few minutes,” Charlotte offered, lifting the baby from Catherine’s arms.

“Pa, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said hesitantly.

“I think I know what you are going to say, it’s about you and Jack Caldwell, isn’t it?”

“Jack?” Catherine looked surprised. “What do you mean? He has been very helpful around the ranch while you were gone, but, that’s all.”

Curry gave a relieved sigh, “Oh, that’s good, I mean it would be okay if you did want to…but I’m glad you don’t.”

Catherine smiled. “I’m not ready to think about getting married yet if that’s what you are trying to say. I think maybe he was thinking about that, but he knows that I don’t want to start a family of my own yet. Not now. Not with Joey needing a big sister,” she glanced over at the baby. “That’s what I wanted to tell you,” she paused, “that I can’t let Joey go to an orphanage or be raised by anyone else. We need to stay together and I was hoping that maybe, if you were willing, you’d help and…well a boy should have a father,” she said hopefully.

“You mean me?” Curry asked in surprise. “I thought maybe…” he glanced at Charlotte who was happily swaying from side to side with the baby on her hip while Heyes looked on.

“No,” Catherine said quickly, realizing what he was about to suggest. “Joey’s my brother, he’s family, I’m all he has and we have to stay together.”

Curry thought for a moment, “Are you sure he’d want an old outlaw for a pa?”

“You’re not an outlaw any more, and you are not old,” Catherine answered with a smile.

“Still, I don’t know what kind of father I’d be. He deserves a good one.”

“Speaking from personal experience, he couldn’t have a better one,” she assured him.

The Kid took a deep breath and nodded. “If that’s what you want, and you think I can do it, then I’ll be the best father I can be.”

“Joey, do you hear that? Our pa is going to take us home now,” she said excitedly.

Charlotte smiled as she gave the boy back to Catherine.

“Congratulations, Kid. I know you’ll make a great father,” Heyes said, reaching to shake the other man’s hand. “I’m happy for all three of you, but I almost thought there for a while, that maybe I—maybe Charlotte and I—well I’m sure this is the best thing. She would have had to give up teaching.”

Charlotte cleared her throat loudly. “I may have to give that up anyway,” she said brightly.

“What?” Heyes asked, suddenly concerned. He thought they’d won that battle. He expected to see a look of sadness or possibly regret in her eyes, but what he saw instead was a sparkle of excitement.

“Hannibal, we’re going to have our own child!” Charlotte exclaimed, unable to restrain herself any longer.

“Do—do you mean you’re—we’re—going to have a baby?”

“Well, yes, that’s usually the way a child arrives,” Charlotte giggled. “I thought you’d be able to tell right off, I’ve had to let out the waist in most of my skirts already.” She blushed, “Well, actually, Catherine did the sewing; I’m afraid there are a few things I’m going to have to learn how to do.”

“Heyes that’s great!” the Kid exclaimed. “Charlotte—congratulations.” He leaned in to give the woman a hug.

“Well Kid, now that we have two families to consider, I think we need to discuss which one of us will keep the ranch house and build on, and which one will build a new place. “I’ve got some planning to do…”

The End