PURGATORY
by Goldie
CHAPTER 1
With a population of around 1000 souls, Purgatory, Wyoming was considered a good-sized little community in the 1880s. Right nice little town, in fact. With a hotel, school, telegraph office and two churches and, of course, several saloons, Purgatory belied its name and provided serenity and safety for its citizens and moderate comfort for its visitors. Just around that time, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two young but retired bank- and train-robbers, rode into Purgatory at the end of a long hot day of riding and decided that it was just the place to stay the night.
As was their custom upon entry into a new town, they first stopped at the telegraph office to wire their friend, Sheriff Lom Trevors of Porterville, Wyoming, and inform him of their whereabouts. The Kid informed the telegrapher that if there was a response, they could be found at the Purgatory Hotel, but he really didn't expect an answer. Lom had been a train robber once himself, so he understood these two. He had gone straight – straight enough to become an officer of the law, in fact – and straight-arrow enough to convince Heyes and Curry that straight was the best way to live. He had used his influence on their behalf to convince the governor of Wyoming of their sincere intent to mend their nefarious ways. And he had even suggested that the governor pardon their crimes so they could lead lives as decent law-abiding citizens.
And the governor had said yes.
The governor told them, through Lom, that if they avoided crime completely for a while, that he would grant them amnesty so they could lead peaceful lives. And Curry and Heyes wanted this more than anything in the whole world. (Part of the deal was that they would still be wanted by the law until the amnesty came through.) They worked hard at avoiding crime completely. Often this meant that they had to keep moving to new towns to avoid something ominous or someone recognized them or maybe because a posse was formed. So whenever they entered a new town, they left word for Lom of their whereabouts. Just in case the governor's amnesty promise had materialized.
But it just never did, sorry to say.
And they were bone-tired of being hunted. They just wanted normal lives. Heyes and the Kid were good friends. Theirs was a friendship born in need and sustained by reinforcement. They were cousins, partners, and, most of all, close friends. As outlaws, there had been highs and lows, and there were the same highs and lows as law-abiding citizens, although there seemed to be more lows than highs. But they both had a good outlook on life, preferring to be positive but cautious, and helping each other whenever necessary. Each of them claimed to have saved the other's life numerous times, but who knows if that was true?
This hot August day seemed like any other to them. New town, but just like all the others. There was no clue that this day would be prophetic. They eyed up the nearest saloon, checked the sheriff's name to make sure it wasn't familiar, stabled the horses, and checked into the hotel. They grabbed a steak dinner in the hotel dining room and debated staying in Purgatory for a while.
Heyes said, "We've been on the run for a while. We've never heard of the Sheriff here. Let's stay here a spell."
The Kid was usually open to any of Heyes's ideas. "All right with me. Want to check out the game in the saloon tonight yet?"
Heyes sighed. "No, I'm tired. Think I'll just go up to the room and see if there's a book to read. You go on if you want, though."
So the Kid wandered over to the saloon, leaving Heyes alone. He ordered a beer and noticed that there were no poker games at all being played. The bartender informed him that poker was usually saved for Friday and Saturday nights. Bored and tired, the Kid decided Heyes had a good idea and walked back to the hotel room.
As the Kid was opening the door to their room, a man in the hallway called his name. As a gunfighter, the Kid turned quickly, always on the alert. He saw the telegrapher running toward him waving a piece of paper. "Mr. Jones, there was an answer to your wire! I have it here!" The Kid thanked him, took the paper, and entered the room. Heyes was sitting in a chair, reading. He smiled. "Must not be a game tonight, huh?"
"No, but…" The Kid was puzzled. "Lom sent a telegram. It's real long! It's addressed to Thaddeus Jones. Only. Wonder why he didn't include you."
Heyes shrugged indifferently. "Who knows? Read it."
Although Heyes had gone back to reading, something made him look up. It was the atmosphere around the Kid. They knew each other so well that Heyes just had an inkling something was different. When he looked at the Kid, he saw his partner with a crazy wide grin on his face. He was waving the paper. It was good news. It was great news!
"It's come through, Heyes. The amnesty. Listen to this. Listen to this." And the Kid attempted to focus on the paper. He was too excited.
Now Heyes got excited, too. He jumped out of the chair, yelling. "Let me see that! My God, Kid! Finally! Read it! No, let me see that!" He made a grab for the paper but the Kid snatched it back and excitedly read it aloud. "'Thaddeus, your amnesty is granted.' My God, Heyes, those are beautiful words. 'Thaddeus, your amnesty is granted. Come immediately to Porterville to sign papers. Only you. Joshua, Governor said no to your amnesty. Only one of y . . .'" He suddenly realized what he was reading. He read it again silently; it said the same thing. The Governor had granted him amnesty but denied Heyes's amnesty.
Heyes was stunned. They were both stunned. All the glee was suddenly gone. They stared at each other for a moment in agony, then the Kid proceeded to finish reading the telegram aloud. "'Joshua, Governor said no. Your amnesty cancelled. Only one of you. Political risk to grant both. So very sorry. Joshua, do not come with Thaddeus. You are still wanted. I must arrest you on sight. My condolences. Lom.'" The Kid's voice had gotten softer with each word. He lowered the paper and ventured a glance at his partner. Heyes's eyes were very wide. He looked scared and innocent, not like the hardened criminal the Governor had just doomed him to be. The Kid wanted to say something to comfort him, but all that came out was a whispered "Heyes."
Heyes felt his legs weaken beneath him and he sat down heavily. All the emotions hit him at once – the fleeting happiness, the hurt, the anger, the resentment. He was even overjoyed for the Kid. But mostly he was angry for the loss of something that had meant so much to him – the hope for his whole future.
He heard the Kid whisper, "It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Then the real impact came through to him. He and the Kid had to split up.
Heyes thought about the telegram's painful words. "Your amnesty cancelled." "Political risk…" "Do not come with Thaddeus!." The message was clear. Lom was telling him that he must run and hide. That friendship was over, too. But at least there was a warning, and Heyes instinctively knew he must heed it.
He looked mournfully up at the Kid, who was still staring at the paper. He knew the Kid hadn't thought of that yet and he wanted to spare him from it as long as possible. But he felt his throat constrict and knew he would have to say something soon – before he couldn't any more. Heyes gripped the chair arms tightly. This was the closest he had come to tears since boyhood. He not only lost the one thing that he wanted in life, but now he was losing his best friend, his partner. And that was the deepest hurt of all. They had been through everything together all their lives. And now it would all end. Just like that. No more caring, no more support, no more laughter, no more love. Everything gone.
Just like that.
He rose slowly, put on his hat and jacket and began to gather the few belongings he owned. The Kid asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Heyes sighed, trying to avoid eye contact. "I'm a liability now, Kid. Think about it. I'm a danger to myself and to you, too. Being around me could get you killed one day. We have to split up." He expected the Kid's protests and was ready. "No, listen! You go to Porterville tomorrow and sign those papers right away. You'll be a free man!" He tried to force a smile and realized with a shock that he was actually very happy for the Kid.
"We don't have to leave 'til morning."
"I'm not going with you, Kid. I'm leaving tonight."
"Where are you going?"
"I … don't know yet."
The Kid still didn't understand. "Well, where will we meet afterward?"
Heyes felt a catch in his throat. "We can't. We have to split up permanently." When the Kid started to object, Heyes raised his voice. "It's too dangerous, Kid. Someone will always be watching you, thinking I'm nearby. I can't risk it. You can't risk it either."
The Kid was angry. "I don't believe it. We'll meet back here a month from today."
"Kid, try to understand. I'm still on the run. For all I know, that telegrapher is running to the Sheriff right now."
"I'll be here next month!"
"I can't, damn it!"
They were both shouting by now, but Heyes could see that the Kid really did understand. He was just in denial, too. Heyes didn't want any more bad words to pass between them. He just wanted to leave – felt the need to leave right away. Leaving wouldn't be easy, but staying was harder.
It only took Heyes a moment to gather everything. He walked to the door, turned and faced the Kid, who was looking at him sadly. "We've always been partners, but it's … it's just time for us to move on now. Besides, you remember all the talks we had about finding nice girls and settling down and getting married. You even said you wanted a family and you wanted to have a farm. You can do that now, Kid. You can do that!" He forced a smile. The Kid said in a small voice, "How will I know where to find you?"
The hardest words he'd ever had to say. "You won't." Heyes turned toward the door. The Kid came over to him. There was no hug, no handshake. Heyes felt that there was only one way he could show the love he felt – he put his hand on the Kid's chest for a moment. On his heart. He thought he saw tears in the Kid's eyes and felt them in his own. Then he bolted out the door and was gone.
A moment after he had left, the Kid slammed his fist into the door.
CHAPTER 2
Two days of hard riding later, the Kid arrived in Porterville. He had left shortly after Heyes had, figuring his friend was right about getting the amnesty as soon as possible. He didn't meet his partner on the road, but didn't expect to, figuring Heyes would have traveled in the opposite direction.
He spent that night in a Porterville hotel, then arose early the next morning for breakfast and his visit to the Sheriff's office. Lom Trevors wasn't there, however. The deputy indicated that Lom was on a call and would be back later. The Kid guessed that Lom simply overslept, so he rode out to Lom's ranch house and knocked on the door.
He was surprised to see a woman open the door. She smiled.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
"Uh…ma'am." The Kid tipped his hat. "I was looking for Lom Trevors."
She was young and full of life and all smiles and the Kid liked her immediately. "I'm sorry, Lom won't be back here for a little while yet." She looked at him strangely for a second, then her smile got bigger than ever. "I know who you are! You're Kid Curry, aren't you?"
"Uh…My name is Thaddeus Jones, ma'am. Lom sent for me."
She was bubbling over with enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, I know, Thaddeus. Come on in. Lom will be so happy to see you." She grabbed his arm and directed him into the familiar house. "You look just like he described you. We've been waiting for you."
"You seem to think you know me, ma'am, but I don't know who you are."
She grabbed his hand and shook it. She was very much alive. The Kid had spent the last couple of days feeling down and her upbeat attitude was a ray of sunshine. "Hi, so nice to meet you. My name is Anna. Don't worry – I know who you are." She motioned for him to sit down. When he hesitated, she said, "Don't worry, you're safe here."
The Kid sat down, always on the defensive. "Are you Lom's … secretary?"
She laughed. A melodic happy laugh. "No, silly. A lot has happened to Lom lately. You don't know, do you?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "Lom and I are engaged to be married!"
The Kid was genuinely surprised and happy. "Well, ma'am, that's very fine. I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you both."
"We haven't known each other long, but we feel lucky we've found each other. The wedding will be right after Christmas. You'll come, won't you? What are your plans? Do you have plans yet; I mean – now that you're a free man?"
That startled the Kid. In the last two days since he'd gotten the telegram, he hadn't given a single thought to his future. In fact, Heyes had thought about it more than he had. He had spent plenty of time feeling sorry for himself and feeling sorry for Heyes and wondering how he could find his friend again, but he had not given a single thought to how he would make a living or what it would be like to be free.
"Ma'am, I…"
"And stop calling me 'ma'am'! I'm Anna!" Always smiling. Beaming, really. The Kid could see why Lom enjoyed being around her. He used to enjoy being around Heyes, who smiled a lot. Used to, anyhow.
"Anna, I would be honored."
Right about then, the front door opened and Lom walked in. He was smiling broadly, too. "Thaddeus! Kid! Good to see you!" He shook the Kid's hand warmly and slapped him on the shoulder. "It finally came through, Kid." Then Lom kissed Anna gently and put his arm around her. If possible, she beamed even more. "I see you've met Anna. Did she tell you we're going to be married?"
"That's just great, Lom. I'm happy for you."
Anna then offered everyone coffee and left to get it. Lom said, "Sit down, Kid. Now let me tell you what's happened. Last week the governor met with his advisors and the subject of your amnesty came up. He plans on running for re-election and, as you know, the amnesty issue has always been a sore spot for him. But this time it looks like his boys talked him into it. The election's a ways off yet and he thinks now would be better than later. And he's all for it!" Anna came in with the coffee, which was appreciated. "Don't worry, Kid. Anna knows everything. By the way, where's Heyes?"
The Kid almost choked on the coffee. "What do you mean – where's Heyes? It was clear he wasn't wanted here." The Kid had had his emotions toyed with a lot in the last few days and didn't feel like being teased.
"Didn't you get my second telegram?"
"Lom, what are you talking about?" Now the Kid was getting angry.
Lom rolled his eyes upwards. "Oh, my God, you didn't! Listen, Kid, I've got news for you. Relax, relax. Listen, after I sent you that first telegram, I wired the Governor's office to tell them I had gotten hold of you and you'd be here in a few days. I heard back from them first thing in the morning. And I sent you a wire right away, but – you didn't get it?" he asked hopefully. When the Kid just glared at him, he continued. "Kid, the Governor's office said that they had met again and decided to re-open the amnesty issue and they decided to grant amnesty to BOTH of you after all! Heyes has his amnesty! You both do!"
The Kid jumped up. He was incredulous. "What are you saying?!"
"Amnesty came through for both of you, not just you. They reconsidered."
"But why? What happened?"
"I'm not sure, but it looks like the Governor's advisors thought better of their first decision. I'm not surprised. This makes more sense. Hey, I'm happy for both of you!" Lom thought about slapping the Kid on the back again, but thought twice about it when he saw the look in the Kid's eyes. "What's the matter? Aren't you happy for Heyes?"
"Of course I am, Lom, but I don't know how to contact him."
"Why not?"
"You told him to stay away and he took this seriously. He thinks if he's with me, someone will trace him through me and he'll be arrested." He sat down again, dejected. "And if I know Heyes, he'll leave a trail that no one can follow."
Lom let out a low whistle. "You're right, he will. When I sent that first telegram, I had to tell him that I would arrest him. I was under pressure to keep him out of the state."
The Kid was about at the end of his emotional rope. He closed his eyes and hoped that when he opened them again, he would find this had all been a dream. When he opened his eyes, Lom and Anna were there, staring at him, and all he could do was sigh. "I don't even know how to begin looking for him, Lom. He knows I'll be looking for him, too, so he'll be extra careful to make sure no one finds him."
"That doesn't sound like Heyes."
"Yes, it does," the Kid snapped back. "You don't know him like I do."
Defeat was in the air. Anna had been sitting and observing everything. She looked sweet and innocent - a ray of sunshine. "Did he give you any clues?"
"What?" both men said at once.
"Did he say anything that might lead you to think where he might be going?"
It was a reasonable question, but the Kid didn't want to think about that night any more. Heyes had been very hurt and the Kid knew he had left suddenly because he didn't want the Kid to see him crying. And the Kid had been thoroughly ashamed of himself for not being able to think of anything to say. Since that night, the Kid had re-played their conversation over and over in his head so often that he remembered every move, every facial expression, every painful word that had been spoken. It had been a short conversation, but Heyes had not given a clue as to his future whereabouts. "The only thing I know for sure is that he went in the opposite direction from Porterville, away from where I was going. We were in Purgatory, so that means he went south. That doesn't mean he kept going south, though."
"No, but it's a start," Lom said.
"Thaddeus," Anna offered. "Think for a minute. You just said no one knows him like you do. If you can think like he thinks, maybe you can imagine something he might do. Maybe you can think of something."
"That'll be tough – trying to outwit that great brain of his. I don't know. He won't do anything simple. He'll work hard to cover his tracks. Let me think."
"I could help you look for him," Lom said. "The Governor wants this issue resolved as soon as possible. I know he'd let me spend the time to find him."
The Kid shook his head. "I don't know, Lom. What could you do that I couldn't?"
"We could split up. With two of us looking, we'd have twice as good a chance of finding him. Cover twice the ground."
The Kid shook his head. "No, Lom, I need you here so I can keep in touch with someone."
Anna spoke up again. "I'll stay here. You can both telegraph me and I can keep both of you informed. Tell each what the other is doing."
"That's perfect, Anna," said Lom. He was apparently used to her cleverness and willingness to help, and the Kid was beginning to have a whole lot of respect for her, too.
Lom said, "Then it's settled. Let's make a plan."
There was a map of Wyoming on the wall. Lom put it on the table and they began to determine any towns that Heyes might find attractive. The Kid figured Heyes would avoid any towns that they had been in before, just for the reason that the Kid might go there. They crossed off towns that were far from anything, reasoning that Heyes might need to change horses quickly or catch a train. And for that reason, they only considered towns that had railroad tracks. They checked all border towns, to see how close they were to towns in other states. That still left a lot of area, but …
The Kid was starting to get excited at the possibility that just maybe they could do this. "He said he didn't want to settle in Mexico, but now that he's alone, he might. He loved Santa Marta and knows the Alcalde there personally. I think I'll wire him to keep a lookout."
"And, Kid, think of anyone else you could telegraph anywhere who might provide Heyes with a refuge. You said he has friends in San Francisco…"
And so it went. The Kid wrote up several telegrams to everyone he could think of that Heyes might go to and explained that there was an amnesty and it was not a trap. But, before he did that, he made Lom show him the papers to reassure himself that it really wasn't a trap. He took the paper that had Heyes's name on it and held on to it. It made him feel better.
"All right, Kid," said Lom after a couple of hours. "I'm going to go in to the office now and make arrangements for the deputies to cover me for a while. I'll send these telegrams out, too. How about if you and I leave first thing tomorrow morning?"
"The sooner the better."
"Good. See if you can get started on drawing up a map for us. I'll be back shortly."
So Lom left and Anna went into the kitchen to start making lunch. The Kid was alone with maps, pencil and paper, and his thoughts. For the first time in the last few days, he felt a bit of hope. His amnesty was a sure thing now. Finding Heyes would be a very difficult thing to do, but if he could manage it, Heyes would find himself a free man. Quite a burden for the Kid, but he had a friend helping him and that would make it easier. The Kid instinctively knew he had to have a plan – a knockout of a plan – to outsmart Heyes. Somehow he had to out-flim-flam the flim-flam master. But he knew Heyes was upset and just might not be thinking clearly. He started writing whatever came into his head on the paper. He drew shapes, stick figures, pictures. Nothing looked promising. So far everything came up empty. He stared out the window at the barn and the pasture beyond. He saw the trees, the road, the creek . . .
And then he knew…the Kid figured out how to find Heyes.
When Lom returned, they all ate lunch together. Lom hadn't come up with any ideas. The Kid announced his plan. "I've been thinking like he does. He'll expect us to do what he's thinking and he'll do the opposite so we have to do the opposite."
Lom said, "Uh…"
The Kid continued. "I'm sure of this, Lom. You know how clever Heyes is. Now, think about it, Lom. Where do you think it's likely he'd go?"
Lom thought about it. "Well, I guess he'll light out of Wyoming as fast as possible."
"Right. Exactly. That's what he'll want us to think. Which means he will really stay in Wyoming."
"Well, if that's true, he'll think he's in danger because he's still wanted in Wyoming. So where would he go?"
"He'll go to see the Governor!"
Lom and Anna both cried, "What?!"
The Kid said, "Don't you get it? He'll go to see the Governor. If I know Heyes, he'll ask the Governor personally to reconsider the amnesty."
"Oh, my God!" gasped Anna. "Do you really think he'd do that?"
Lom considered this. "Could be. And if that's true, there's nothing to worry about. The Governor's already done that."
"At least we know what direction to head."
Lom shook his head. "I don't know, Kid. Maybe he's heading for Devil's Hole."
The Kid became very quiet. "I don't know what to think about that. He'd be safe there; he knows that. But I hate to think he's considering going back to outlawing." The Kid shook his head. All three were silent. Eventually he said, "No, I don't think he'll go back to the Hole. He felt good going straight, like it was the first time in his life he did something worthwhile. It was hard at first – for both of us – but Heyes took to it a lot better than me. No, I think he's going to want that amnesty bad enough to confront the Governor."
CHAPTER 3
Heyes did indeed ride south from Purgatory that fateful night. After several miles, it occurred to him that he was not close to any more towns and he would have to find a place to bed down for the night. There was light from a partial moon but otherwise it was dark. He rode until he heard the sound of a stream near the road, then pitched camp near the water.
Heyes knew he was not thinking clearly. He had to make a plan but couldn't concentrate. The miserable knowledge that he had lost both his amnesty and his best friend kept creeping back into his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on organizing his next few days. After a while, he abandoned the effort and allowed himself the luxury of tears of sadness. He hated himself for being weak but knew he would not be able to function unless he moved past this feeling. Deep sorrow was something he had not experienced since his parents had been murdered when he was a boy, and he fervently wished it would pass.
He slept fitfully, but morning brought a fresh outlook. He rose and looked around. In the bright morning light he was able to see the trees, the road, the creek. He saddled up and allowed his horse to lead him to nearby apple trees, where they both had breakfast. He sat under a tree and considered his possibilities. All night the idea of returning to outlawing had been a nagging thought that he had kept repressing. Now he allowed himself to examine it. It wasn't a good life, by any means, but it kept him fed. He and the Kid had enjoyed the thrill of breaking into a bank in the middle of the night and leaving with the bank's money. No doubt about it. But would the thrill be the same without the Kid? Heyes shook his head sadly. He just didn't want it any more.
The other alternative, of course, was to go straight. He had been doing that for some time, already, and had found it was more attractive than he had figured it would be. This was the only choice that felt right, and Heyes knew there really wasn't a choice at all.
But it wouldn't be the same without the Kid.
Heyes just couldn't shake this thought from his mind. He wanted the Kid to have the life he had talked about for a long time, but he wanted it for himself, too. He wanted them to be able to share good times together again. He wanted the Kid in his life.
Heyes knew he was as smart as the Kid said he was, so he pulled himself together to concentrate. He began to consider several possibilities, but life on the run was not appealing. Again he knew that there was only one choice.
There was only one way to get the freedom he wanted – he had to confront the Governor.
It was a big chance – it might land him in prison for twenty years – but it was his only chance, and he was willing to take it. He knew he was thinking rashly but nothing else – nothing else at all – came to mind.
To try to throw the Kid off his track, he went back to his campsite and ran branches over the ground where he had walked and had a campfire, to erase all tracks. He began to formulate a plan for reaching the Governor.
CHAPTER 4
The Kid asked Lom, "What do you suppose really made the Governor change his mind?"
"Oh, I don't know," Lom said. "I think he realized that it would look more stupid for him to pardon one of you than both of you."
"But why did he choose me in the first place? I'm the gunslinger, not Heyes. I'm the dangerous one, not him, you'd think."
"Well, Kid, it makes sense for the Governor to have you on his side, not against him, if you think about it."
The Kid sighed. "Maybe you're right. I just wish he would have thought of that a day sooner." They were both quiet then, lost in their own private thoughts. Soon the Kid asked, "How did you meet Anna?"
Anna came into the room just then with Lom's packed carpetbag and explained to the Kid that she had been hired to be the schoolteacher at the primary school in September. She came into town at the beginning of summer and had asked the Sheriff to help her find lodgings, which he did, and they were interested in each other from the beginning. Anna flashed that beguiling smile and so did Lom. They were obviously in love.
The Kid smiled, too. "I just hope someday I can be half as happy as you two are."
Anna hugged him. "Don't worry. I know you will." This pleased the Kid.
When Anna left the room again, the Kid said, "I meant it when I said I hope I can find someone like her. Most of the women I've known have a little bit of larceny in their hearts. Anna seems sweet. Smart, too."
Lom answered him, "She is all that." He pointed his finger at the Kid. "But don't you go getting any ideas about…"
"Whoa, hold on! I've got enough on my mind right now without worrying about stealing someone else's woman!" They both laughed.
Soon their plan was ready to go. The idea was that the Kid would ride to the Governor's office, taking the most direct route and watching and asking for signs of Heyes along the way. He would follow any trail that might come up. Lom would take the train south out of Porterville and stop in each town to inquire if anyone had seen someone who looked like Heyes. At the end of each day they would send telegrams to Anna, and if she felt it was necessary, she would exchange information for the two of them, also. In addition, Lom sent a telegram to the Governor to tell him that he expected Heyes to show up at his office and to be on the lookout for him.
They wished each other luck, shook hands, and set out Heyes-hunting.
CHAPTER 5
Tracking came naturally to Heyes, so it was easy for him to think of himself as the prey and make sure his tracks were covered. Whenever he left a road he made sure to whisk over his horse's tracks with a branch. Uneasily he noticed that the horse's right front shoe had a diamond pattern stamped in it. If the Kid was aware of this, and he just might be, the horse would be easy to follow, so extra care was called for. As much as he wanted to see the Kid again, he knew it was too dangerous for both of them.
At the next town, Heyes stopped at a saloon for a bowl of stew and a beer. He found out the best way to get to the Wyoming Territorial capitol and set out immediately after lunch, figuring to make a plan on the way. It would be another two days' ride.
He rode an indirect route, always making sure to cover his tracks but fretting about that diamond pattern. The following day he decided to do some horse-trading in a town called East Bend. He was running low on money, anyhow, so he traded his good horse for a lesser animal and got some cash in the bargain.
This new ride slowed him down some so it was an additional day before he reached Cheyenne. As he rode into the territorial capitol he began to feel anxious, looking right and left as if he would be recognized. He stopped at a friendly-looking saloon for directions to the Governor's office and found out that he was very close. It was nighttime and he wanted to join in a rather lively poker game he was watching, but common sense prevailed so he had a couple beers and checked in at the hotel.
He knew he would need a good night's sleep in order to face the Governor in the morning.
CHAPTER 6
Lom just wasn't having any luck finding a trail. He had boarded the train that very afternoon and he had gotten off at every single stop to ask questions but he had absolutely no luck. Nobody in any train stations remembered seeing a man who looked like Heyes. After the train took off from every station, Lom thoroughly checked out every passenger. He was aware of Heyes's abilities with disguises, so he made sure to look into the eyes of every man. Those deep brown eyes were unconcealable. Of course, before Anna, he would have been looking into the eyes of every woman also!
He rode the train for a couple of days and then decided to turn around and head home. Each night he telegraphed Anna his results – those results were disheartening but not totally unexpected He knew Heyes would be more likely to be on horseback or, if riding a train, stealing a ride on a freight.
He had the gut feeling that the Kid was following a better trail.
CHAPTER 7
And he was right. The Kid had also left that afternoon on horseback, and had no trouble following Heyes's trail. The reason was he didn't follow a trail at all. He was so sure that he was right about Heyes heading for the Governor's mansion that he didn't bother watching for the diamond horseshoe or any other sign of Heyes. He made a few cursory inquiries at saloons or restaurants as he passed through towns but wasn't discouraged over a lack of information. He believed – correctly - that Heyes would visit towns only as necessary and would keep a low profile, maybe even disguising himself somehow. The Kid knew his partner very well.
He spent a day or two on the road and a couple of nights in small town hotels. He was getting close to the territorial capitol and knew he would arrive there the next day. He had been very sure all along that he would find that Heyes had already visited the Governor when he arrived but now the thought that maybe Heyes had not really gone this route began to occur to him. This disturbed him and began to crowd out all his positive thoughts. What if Heyes hadn't really gone to see the Governor? What then? There was no way the Kid could go all the way back to Purgatory and pick up a cold trail. Too much time had gone by. And, quite simply, if Heyes didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.
The Kid sent a telegram to Anna asking if she had heard anything. Anna wired back immediately that Lom had failed to find Heyes and was returning home on the evening train.
But the Kid was a gunfighter, after all, and had nerves of iron. He decided to try to push the bad thoughts to the back of his mind and keep following his instincts. They had always come through for him before. He had to have hope.
CHAPTER 8
First Heyes decided to eat breakfast before seeing the Governor, then he decided that he was too nervous to eat, then he decided that if he was going to prison for twenty years, it would be better to have a meal first. So he went to the closest restaurant and had a good breakfast. He couldn't taste it, though – sort of a concession.
After breakfast he rode directly to the Governor's mansion. It was an imposing-looking brick building with a couple of flags flying out front and some guards by the big front door. Heyes didn't normally lack nerve but he felt his legs weaken as he dismounted so he mounted his horse again and rode down the street to the saloon he had stopped in the night before. The saloon was closed, however, so he had no choice but to go without a drink. "Just as well," he thought. "I need all my wits about me."
He had dressed well that morning for his visit with the Governor – a suit and a tie. As he rode past a storefront window he caught his reflection. It reassured him to see someone looking back at him. He had been alone for several days by now. If the Governor would reconsider his amnesty he could try to find the Kid. That thought gave him courage.
Heyes climbed the steps and moved inside to a large vestibule.. Several people were present, both men and women. A man with spectacles asked Heyes if he could be of service. Heyes announced with a smile that he would like to see the governor. The man, a secretary of some kind, probably, asked if he had an appointment. Heyes replied no, but he was Joshua Smith from Sheriff Lom Trevors's office in Porterville, and it was extremely important. The man asked him to wait and disappeared behind one of the doors leading from the vestibule. Heyes realized he was nervous and tried to calm himself. He looked around, making note of all possible escape routes. He felt lucky as no one seemed to be taking any particular note of him.
The bespectacled man returned and surprised Heyes with the announcement that he would be seen but must wait for the Governor to finish with his current appointment. Heyes was asked to leave his hat – and his gun! – with the secretary. After handing them over, Heyes was then searched by a large man for additional weapons. Heyes had anticipated the loss of his gun and had actually considered hiding another in his clothing but was now glad he had chosen not to.
After half an hour had passed, a woman emerged from the door the secretary had passed through and told Heyes to follow her. She was tall and stern-looking and also wore spectacles. Heyes began to wonder if his own vision might be too blurry.
They passed through a couple of rooms before arriving in a large room that appeared to be a well-appointed office. A large mahogany desk was placed in the center of the room and a distinguished-looking man sat in a leather chair behind the desk. Heyes scrutinized the man quickly. At the saloon the night before he had asked for a description of the Governor of the Wyoming Territory, and this man fit the bill. Heyes was satisfied.
The Governor was friendly-looking. In spite of his fears, Heyes liked him immediately. He took a deep breath, smiled, and offered his hand to the Governor. He said, "Governor, I'm Joshua Smith, here on urgent business. I wonder if I might have a word with you in private?"
The Governor walked around the desk to return the smile and the handshake and said, "Of course. Please sit down, Mr. Heyes."
CHAPTER 9
Heyes realized his mouth had dropped open but made no attempt to close it. He had walked into that room a man-o-war, a powerful sailing ship ready to attack the enemy, and suddenly the wind had died down. He felt his legs weaken beneath him again and the blood drain from his face and wondered vaguely if he might be sick. He took the Governor's suggestion and sat down.
"Are you all right, Mr. Heyes?" the Governor asked with genuine concern. "Would you care for some coffee, or perhaps some water?" He motioned to one of the men who had accompanied Heyes into the room, and the man disappeared.
Heyes cleared his throat. "I…uh…" The silver tongue was failing him. He tried to think but wild thoughts crowded his mind. Foremost among them, how did the Governor know who he was?
"It's good to see you. I was actually expecting you would show up yesterday. How was the ride here?"
"The ride? The ride was… uh…"
"You really don't look well. All right, here's Anson with some coffee. Please help yourself."
Heyes took the cup and drank some coffee, not because he wanted it, but because he needed to stall for time to be able to think clearly. This man obviously knew who he was. This man was being kind to him. It didn't add up.
"Well, Mr. Heyes, I'm sure your 'urgent business' is that amnesty. I have your amnesty approval papers right here on my desk."
Heyes spit out his coffee.
The Governor, thankfully, had not witnessed this as he had turned back to his desk and picked up an official-looking document. "I've placed my seal on this document recently. This is the amnesty I've been told you have worked hard for. The terms and conditions are clearly indicated. Please read it carefully. It would be best for you to carry it with you, although all law enforcement offices in Wyoming have already been notified. My only concern for you at this point would be bounty hunters. Sometimes I fear they work outside the law. Have you been bothered much by bounty hunters?"
"No…yes…" Heyes set down the coffee cup and took the offered document. He was sitting but his legs still felt weak. He tried to read the amnesty paper. Blurry vision again, but some words came through strongly. He saw his name and he saw the word "pardoned." The Governor's signature and seal were at the bottom and that was all he needed to see. Slowly the realization of what was happening began to dawn on him. He began to feel some strength and some color coming back to his face again. He smiled and looked up at the Governor.
The Governor continued. "We have decided against a ceremony to announce your amnesty. Please don't be offended but my office has decided that it would not be a wise political move at this time."
Heyes's thoughts were elsewhere. He smiled broadly. "Thank you, Governor."
"Sheriff Trevors will keep a copy of the amnesty in his office, you have a copy, and the main document will be kept on file in this office. Please feel free to contact Sheriff Trevors or this office if you find you have trouble in the future." The Governor offered his hand. "Was there anything else?"
"No. No no."
Heyes stood up and shook the Governor's offered hand. He repeated his thanks, still smiling broadly.
As he escorted Heyes out, still shaking his hand the whole time, the Governor looked at him quizzically. "I had heard that you were known for being a fast talker, but I must say you didn't strike me that way at all. Good luck, Mr. Heyes."
CHAPTER 10
It was the first time in years that so many things were going right. Heyes felt good, he felt free, he had the chance to settle down peacefully, the chance to live like a normal person. And all because of that piece of paper in his saddlebag. He smiled a broad smile. The sun was shining, the day was beautiful, the road was good. He headed back to Porterville to see his friend Lom to celebrate with him. Hopefully the Kid would be there, too. If not, Lom would know where he was. Heyes wanted more than anything to be able to celebrate their good news together.
Heyes knew it would be wise to walk the horse but he was too excited to see his friends. He galloped the horse all the way to the next town. Once there, he sent a telegram to Lom: "On way there. Good news. Joshua." He had thought about signing it "Heyes," but decided against it. All things in time.
After enjoying – really enjoying – a lunch at the saloon, Heyes climbed back into the saddle and headed out of town again. After running the horse for a while, he pulled back and allowed a walk. He wanted to think. For the first time since boyhood, he felt really free. There were no words for it. It was almost as if a weight had been lifted from his back. "Monkey on my back," he thought. "Gone." He chuckled at the analogy and then chuckled at the idea that he never would have found this simple thought amusing before. Heyes couldn't remember being in such a good mood for a long time. Everything was right. He had his freedom, he was on the way to see an old friend, and he would soon be reunited with the Kid, whom he missed. Everything was right in the world!
He was so distracted that he never saw the rattlesnake coiled practically in the middle of the sunny road before he heard the menacing rattle. He and the horse saw it at the same time. As he reached for his gun, the horse reared, surprising him and causing him to fall to the ground. The horse's hooves struck the snake, killing it, but the horse ran off anyway.
Heyes was unable to pursue his mount. In falling, he had hit his head on a rock in the road and was knocked unconscious.
CHAPTER 11
The Kid was running out of money and patience. A few dry, dusty days on the road alone didn't do much for his temperament, either. His goal was to find Heyes, but, after the first day, there didn't seem to be any sign of him. It was as if Heyes had suddenly realized that it was important to cover his tracks and started working at it. Not a surprise, but a big frustration. The Kid knew his partner was very capable of doing just that, and it made him angry and desperate. Angry at himself for not telling Heyes that they should stay together, and desperate to find his partner before he did something illegal or got into trouble by himself.
Several days out, the Kid rode into a small town late in the day and decided to splurge on a hotel room. He wired Anna and she wrote back that Heyes had actually written her and used the words "good news"! She surprised the Kid with the news that Heyes said he was on the way back to Lom's ranch, and should be arriving soon. The Kid could only conclude – correctly, it turned out – that Heyes had met with the Governor and found out about his amnesty firsthand.
Of course there was the chance that this wasn't the case; nonetheless the Kid found himself very happy over this news and preferred to believe it. It all made sense. He re-thought his moves and made plans to return to Lom's ranch the next day. He was very happy about being able to see Heyes again and allowing Heyes to tell him about his amnesty himself. Although Kid Curry was not a man usually prone to emotion, the sole exception was his deep love for Heyes. They had been together as long as he could remember – cousins who were friends, then "business" partners in crime and emotional support in their post-crime lives. A life without Heyes nearby was unimaginable to the Kid. Everyone needed a partner and Heyes was the best.
The Kid hit the trail early the next day. Like Heyes, he knew it would be wise to save the horse but was anxious and galloped until he felt the horse needed a rest. He knew he wouldn't reach Lom's place for a couple days, but wished he could somehow arrive ahead of Heyes, so he, Lom and Anna could all be there when Heyes arrived. As he walked along, he allowed his thoughts to wander. They were all good thoughts because he was in a happy frame of mind. He thought about all the times he and Heyes had been there for each other, the good times they had shared. He thought about all the money that had slipped through their hands over the years. He laughed aloud at that. He appreciated the fact that Heyes was the only one who knew him well and accepted him as he was, faults and all. There weren't many faults he could find in Heyes, though; he respected him a great deal. In his opinion, Heyes was a good man: intelligent, caring, funny, expressive, loyal. Brave, dependable, and on and on. A good man. Sure, they got under each other's skin once in a while, but that's to be expected when you spend so many hours together. It was more than just having to be together because of the prices on their heads; they wanted to be together for the pure enjoyment of each other's company. A good man and a good friend. He had always felt it was an honor to be Heyes's partner, and knew Heyes felt the same way about him.
The memories flooded back as the miles melted away. The Kid remembered a long afternoon many years ago when he had tried to teach Heyes to quick-draw and Heyes had shot just about everything except the target. They had collapsed on the ground laughing and finally decided that the Kid was the better gunfighter.
He remembered the time – not too long ago, either – when they were down to just one coin between them and they were hungry. Just enough money for one meal but who would eat it? As usual, it depended on a toss of the coin. But the coin landed in the dust and they couldn't find it. He laughed out loud remembering the two of them on their hands and knees in the middle of the dirt road, combing through the dust with their fingers.
He smiled in memory of the time they took a job with a rancher who needed a few wild stallions broken. As usual, they were hungry, and it was the only job available. One horse in particular shied away from everyone but him so he told Heyes only he could break it. Naturally, he landed on the ground within seconds, smarting both from the fall and from his partner's light-hearted laughter. But he warmly remembered how Heyes had rushed to his aid when he tried to get up and found he had cracked some ribs.
These were good times – hard times but good times. Now everything would change – for the better. Now they could start lives as free men and that meant everything to both of them.
The Kid kicked the horse into a canter. Suddenly he was very anxious to see his friend.
CHAPTER 12
When Heyes awoke, the sun was much further along in the sky. He sat up slowly, acknowledging the pounding in his head by holding his head with his hands. He opened his eyes and was surprised that his vision took a while to clear. First he saw double, then he saw nothing but blurriness. After a while, the blurriness cleared and he was able to look around. The first thing he saw was a dead rattlesnake lying just off the road. Apparently, from the looks of it, it had been trampled by a horse. First he wondered what had happened. Then he panicked, thinking he had been bitten. A quick assessment assured him that his only injury was to his head. There was little blood but there was a large lump on the side of his head that was very painful. Heyes stood up slowly and unsteadily, rocking a bit until he got his balance. He looked around for the horse that had trampled the rattlesnake. He was alone.
It would be dark soon, he knew. He had to find shelter but there didn't appear to be any houses anywhere close. He had no bedroll or saddlebags – only the clothes he was wearing. So he began to walk down the road. He walked back in the direction from which he had come.
He felt dizzy and a little sick and had a hard time concentrating. He could see no sign of civilization anywhere so decided he might just have to walk all night or find a protected place to sleep for a while. He sat on a large rock and cradled his head in his hands; it hurt to think.
In a few minutes he heard the sound of a buckboard approaching. He looked up slowly – every movement was painful. He squinted and could make out an elderly man and woman driving the one-horse buckboard. They stopped near him.
The old man said, "Young feller, what are you doin' way out here without a horse?"
Heyes replied that his horse apparently shied at a rattlesnake and threw him and ran off. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but he thought maybe a couple of hours at least. The woman expressed concern and asked him if he was all right. Heyes said that he honestly thought so but still didn't feel well. He must have looked sick because the man got down off the buckboard and told Heyes that he was coming home with them and lying down until he felt better. Then he and the woman helped Heyes climb up on the seat and they took off in the direction Heyes had been walking. Back to Cheyenne. Away from Porterville.
CHAPTER 13
"It's just been too long. He should've been here long ago." The Kid continued his pacing and driving Lom and Anna crazy. He and Lom both knew that the delay in Heyes's appearance could have been due to any number of things that Heyes decided to do at the last minute, but only the Kid knew Heyes well enough to know how excited he would have been to meet up with his partner again. That alone was reason enough for the Kid to be worried.
"Curry, stop pacing. You're wearing a hole in my floor." Lom seldom used the Kid's last name unless he was angry. But he must have been kidding because Anna gave that sweet fairy-dust laugh of hers. "I'm sure he's all right," she said. She had a way of being completely disarming.
"Well, maybe you're right, Anna. At least I hope so." The Kid stopped pacing and sat down at the table.
"Anyway," said Lom, "there's not a lot we can do. He'll show up, Kid. He said he'd be here. Stop worrying."
The Kid stared straight ahead. He still felt something was wrong. Something had happened.
Heyes sat between the man and the woman on the buckboard, bending over and holding his head with his hands. He couldn't stop the pounding in his head and the ride was only making it worse. The sun was setting and it was getting a little chillier, so the woman had put her blanket around his shoulders.
After a while he heard the sound of a single rider approaching the wagon. He kept his head down because it hurt too much to move, but he could clearly hear the conversation between the three people, who obviously were neighbors from the way they talked. The elderly man told the rider that they were headed home and they needed a doctor to be sent to their home. The rider said he would fetch the doctor and then Heyes heard him gallop away.
In a short while, they arrived at a house on the outskirts of Cheyenne. Heyes looked up to see a simple inviting house with a white picket fence in the front yard. The two of them helped him down and into the house. He was dizzy and unsteady on his feet and the pain in his head was getting worse. They made him lie down on a bed and then the woman put a cool wet cloth on his head.
Heyes opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. He was alone. Lying down made him feel better. The woman had put several feather pillows under his neck and that seemed to help the pain some. He began to think again. He didn't know these people, he didn't know where he was, he didn't know – who he was!
Try as he might, Heyes couldn't remember his name.
He couldn't remember falling from his horse, he couldn't remember where he had been heading, he couldn't remember who he was!
The doctor came in, a pleasant-looking man in his 50s, and began examining Heyes. He made Heyes sit up and looked into his eyes and listened to his heart and then examined the nasty bruise on his head. He had a very caring attitude and kept his hand on Heyes's chest while he tenderly examined the bruise with the other hand. Heyes was feeling bad, physically and emotionally, and the doctor could see that.
He spoke softly. "What's your name, young man?"
Heyes hadn't spoken for a while and the garbled sound of his own voice surprised him. Maybe he couldn't remember what his own voice sounded like, either! "Doc, I … don't know. I've been trying to remember. But I don't know."
The doctor wasn't surprised. "Is there anything that you do remember?"
"The snake. I remember seeing a dead snake. And walking. And then these people." He looked up and gestured at the elderly couple. He tried to smile. "Who are you?"
They were close by and were obviously concerned about him. The man introduced himself as John Adams and his wife as Miranda Adams. They smiled back. "We're lucky we found you when we did."
"No," said Heyes. "I think I'm the lucky one." His voice trailed off as he tried to remember. Anything.
The doctor was continuing his examination. "Don't worry too much, young man. It's not unusual for a memory loss or other cognitive impairment to result from such a strong blow to the head. Most times it comes back. How is your vision?"
"When I first got up, it was blurry. But that cleared up right away. I can see fine now. It just hurts a lot to hold my head up."
"All right," said the doctor, standing. "I don't see any major external injury. Sorry, John, but he's going to have to stay put for a while. I want him to stay in bed but not to sleep for a few hours. Make some coffee to keep him awake for a while." He turned to Heyes. "Then tomorrow, try to sleep, son. As much as you can. Tonight, though, I want you to sit up in bed and keep those feather pillows behind your back and head. I'll give you a draught to help with the pain, but that should ease up by tomorrow."
"What about my memory, Doc? I don't know who I am!" Heyes's deep brown eyes were unable to hide his obvious distress.
The doctor patted him on the knee. "Like I said, most times it comes back. Not right at first, and a little at a time, but it comes back. You had a nasty blow but it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't worry about it. I think this will be temporary." He sounded convincing but Heyes wasn't reassured. "I'll check back tomorrow." Mr. Adams showed the doctor out through the parlor. Mrs. Adams put a blanket over Heyes. "Thank you, ma'am," he smiled weakly.
"You have such a nice smile, young man," she said. "But tomorrow that bruise is going to be all shades and colors." She put the doctor's medicine in a glass of water and made Heyes drink it. When Mr. Adams came back in the room, she went off to make coffee.
"You've been very kind. Thank you," said Heyes.
"Young feller, we don't even know what to call you." He was being affable enough, but this only depressed Heyes further. "Say, why don't you look through your pockets and see if you have any kind of identification in there?"
Heyes did as he was told but came up empty-handed, except for some money. He looked at it blankly and then handed it to Mr. Adams. "Take it. I'm sure I owe it to you for your trouble. And for the doc and all."
But Mr. Adams would have none of it. He waved it away. "No, no, you keep it. We don't want your money."
Heyes got quiet then. He closed his eyes, trying very hard to remember anything. Mr. Adams saw the pain there and tried to keep things light. "Say, why don't you tell us what you want us to call you? Is there a name you've always wanted? Is there someone you admired you'd like to be named after?"
At first this depressed Heyes because he couldn't remember a father or uncle or brother he could have been named after, but then he remembered that he admired Mark Twain's writings. He asked Mr. Adams to call him Mark, and told him why.
Mr. Adams liked that. "All right, your new name is Mark!"
CHAPTER 14
Although the head wound continued to cause pain and the memory stubbornly stayed away, Heyes found that he enjoyed being in the company of the Adamses. He wondered if he had grandparents and hoped they were as nice as these people if he did.
He spent the whole first day in bed. Mrs. Adams fussed over him constantly. On the second day they put a chair on the front porch for him with a blanket on his lap which made him too hot, although he appreciated the care. By the third day, he was tired of inactivity and walked around the house and outside. The pain in his head increasingly disappeared until it only hurt when he accidentally touched the sore spot.
Mrs. Adams kept after him to take it easy, but he was young and strong and basically healthy, and he couldn't stay inactive for long. He helped carry in firewood and helped to churn the butter and he became the official pie tester.
In the course of the days he spent with the elderly couple, he learned quite a lot about them, whereas they learned nothing of him. He learned that they had had a son many years ago, and that his name was John Jr. He learned that he resembled the son a bit. He learned that they had once had a farm in Kansas and had come west when they sold the farm, to live in a fresh new land that held no memories. Their son had died suddenly in a fall from a horse and they still found it difficult to talk about him.
He also felt a powerful amount of emotion heading in his direction from them. He was kind to them but didn't feel he deserved their special fondness for him. It probably had to do with his resembling their son. It was awkward for him, and he had mixed feelings about it. If he got his memory back, then he would head home to his own family, and leave these people behind, maybe missing their "new" son all over again. And if he never got his memory back, which is what he feared would happen, then he would appreciate having them as his "new" family, and his own family would miss him. Either way, it just wasn't fair to someone.
After a few days of visits from the doctor, the patient was declared well enough to ride or do light work. Mr. Adams approached Heyes and asked him to stay on with them as a hired hand. "Don't leave, son. We're getting older, you know, and some of the things we used to do…well, we just can't do them anymore. We could use the help and we'll pay you fairly."
Heyes felt badly about accepting but really had nowhere else to go. So he offered a weak smile and said, "It'd be an honor to work for you, John. Thanks for all you've done."
So it was settled. Heyes stayed on in the extra bedroom in the house, and the Adamses paid him a fair wage to help out around the house with all the chores they needed done. It seemed to be a good deal all around, but Heyes was bothered by the nagging thought that something just wasn't right. He spent a lot of time out of each day trying hard to remember anything, and became frustrated when all he could remember were little pieces of information. These normally flashed across his mind when he saw something that triggered then, like a deck of cards or a bank safe. One morning, when he was walking in Cheyenne with John, he spied a young man about his own age and height. The man had blond curly hair and wore a brown jacket, and Heyes felt that he should know the man. But it was only a flash of memory and nothing more came of it. It upset him, though, and he returned home and took to his bed. It was sad not remembering.
CHAPTER 15
No one tried to stop the Kid when he announced he was going to go looking for Heyes. When he got into certain moods, it was a dangerous thing to do. Lom told him that they'd better keep sending the telegrams just in case Heyes showed up at his ranch and at least the Kid agreed to that. But when he rode off one morning, he had a very determined look on his face and Lom didn't want to interfere. He said "Good luck" and that was all.
The Kid headed away from Porterville – straight for Cheyenne, where the Governor's residence was. Lom had warned him that it would be best not to bother the Governor, but the Kid intended to find Heyes, no matter what it took.
He was angry that Heyes hadn't just shown up right away at Lom's place, but he was also concerned that something might have happened. He had been an outlaw too long to trust anyone or to trust to good luck. Deep in his soul, he feared the worst, but he wouldn't allow himself to think that. The only thing to do was to go looking for him again, and hopefully this time he would find him.
Although it took up time, the Kid stopped in every small town and inquired at the saloons, hotels, livery stables, and telegraph offices (if they had one) after Heyes. No one had recognized the description he had given. No one at all.
But the Kid kept at it. Whenever he sent a telegram to Lom or Anna, it always came back that there was no news. The Kid began to be discouraged, but he knew that Heyes was somewhere. And that somewhere was up to him to find.
CHAPTER 16
The headaches had returned, and with them, flashes of memory. It was becoming almost predictable now. Heyes would feel a sudden searing pain and then flashes of light that made him squeeze his eyes shut, then a glimpse of a memory. Never a whole memory, just a piece. Never a name, just a face. Never a thought, just a feeling.
But these things were coming back! Like dreams, he experienced some of them over and over again. It was almost like his brain was trying to tell his body something. He felt like there was a war going on inside himself, like he was being pulled apart between two worlds.
Sometimes in the evenings he played card games with Mr. Adams and often had to retire early because he got headaches and memory flashes during the games. These involved glimpses of poker games – games he must have played himself in the past.
Another repetitive memory was the face of a young blond man. The first time he experienced this memory was the night after he had seen a similar man in town. He saw this face several times the next day, and wondered desperately who it was. It was accompanied by a warm feeling, or closeness, and he wondered if maybe this face belonged to a brother or friend.
One particularly disturbing memory happened after Mr. Adams showed Heyes the handgun he kept hidden behind some boxes. Heyes saw images of men fast-drawing against each other, always the same blond man but different opponents, and these memories were particularly painful and left him with a feeling of helplessness and sadness. He seemed to be worried about the blond man. He wanted desperately to know who this was he kept seeing. For the first couple days after the sighting in town, Heyes's memory images came quickly and powerfully and left him exhausted and holding his pounding head.
He saw glimpses of himself as a young boy, too, and these left him either very happy or very sad. There was violence that he couldn't identify, and sometimes there was great joy at love that he felt. He saw himself as a boy with another boy with blond hair, and wondered if this was the blond man when they were small.
Heyes was basically happy that his memory was coming back, but completely frustrated that it wasn't happening faster or providing him with clearer information. He was getting desperate to identify himself and his life. The Adamses were very supportive and helped him whenever he needed it, but what could they really do?
Mrs. Adams seemed to enjoy just listening to Heyes talk. She told him he had a good sense of humor and it saddened her to see him unhappy and frustrated over his loss of memory. She encouraged him to talk, hoping he would discover more of himself in doing so. He enjoyed talking with her because she was easy to talk to. But sometimes he just wanted to be alone. At times when she caught him staring out the window at nothing, she knew she must leave him alone to be lost in his thoughts.
One day, around three weeks after Heyes had arrived, the rain came down. It started slowly and was heavy rain by afternoon. This weather drew Heyes to the window even more than usual. Mr. and Mrs. Adams sat in the parlor talking quietly between themselves, and Heyes sat at the window in the chair he had permanently placed there. They might have been talking about him; he wouldn't have noticed as he was completely lost in his partial memories. More things had been coming back to him lately. Not his name, and no name for the face of the blond man, but other things. He was certain now, for instance, that he had no family to speak of. He felt he had spent a lot of time on horseback recently. When Mr. Adams had mentioned the name of the Governor recently, it had sounded familiar to him. Heyes turned to look at Mr. Adams, sighed, and turned back to the rainy window. He looked at the now-familiar trees, the road, the creek.
Suddenly, Heyes whispered, "My God!" He knew who the blond man was!
CHAPTER 17
The Kid spent some days on the road looking for Heyes. He continued to ask lots of questions, and sometimes he found himself backtracking to pursue a lead that didn't amount to anything. When he arrived in Cheyenne late one afternoon, he asked directions to the Governor's office and went there immediately. Although in a foul mood, dirty, and trail-tired, he entered the office and asked to see the Governor. He was told the Governor was not in; could anyone else help him? He asked a man in spectacles who had introduced himself as the Governor's secretary if a man who looked like Heyes had recently met with the Governor.
"Yes, sir," replied the man with spectacles. "A man answering this description was here recently to meet with the Governor."
The Kid stiffened; he wasn't expecting this. After all the disappointment he had encountered recently, this was too good to be true. "I'm talking about Hannibal Heyes. He is being granted amnesty by the Governor."
"Yes," said the secretary. "I met with Mr. Heyes myself. He was here several days ago and met with the Governor himself."
"Did he … get it? The amnesty?"
"Are you a member of the press?"
"I'm Jed Curry."
The secretary's mouth opened just a little. Now they both were surprised. "Mr. Curry, the Governor granted Mr. Heyes his amnesty and Mr. Heyes left. Congratulations on your own amnesty, sir."
The Kid breathed a sigh of relief to know that this much, at least, was true. "Thanks. I'm trying to find Heyes. Do you know where he went from here?"
"No, sir, I don't. He didn't say. As I recall, he didn't say much at all."
The Kid thanked the man with the spectacles politely and left. So far, so good, but it wasn't enough. He still had no idea where Heyes was. At least he knew that Heyes's "good news" was the news of his own amnesty. That means he would have been heading for Lom's place. But why did he never arrive?
It was too much of a puzzle and it gave the Kid a headache. He had had a number of headaches lately and decided all he wanted was to have a good meal and a soft bed for the night. He checked in to a hotel in Cheyenne, ate supper, and went to bed early.
The next morning he slept late since the weather was gloomy and the bed was comfortable.. He awoke with renewed energy and passion to find his friend. He put on his brown jacket and went out for breakfast. Since he now knew that Heyes had been in that area, he asked around at a few businesses if they had seen a man who matched Heyes's description. He was heartened to get a couple positive replies. The waitress in the restaurant was sure she remembered him. She had noticed that he had seemed nervous and preoccupied. She described the suit he was wearing and the Kid recognized it immediately. Heyes had been here! Finally a trail!
It started to rain but the Kid felt good. He set out for Porterville, first sending a telegram to Lom but not waiting for a reply. It would take him days to get back, but he didn't care. He now had a lead.
A short ways out of Cheyenne, he pulled his jacket tight around him against the rain. He was passing the Adams household at the time.
CHAPTER 18
The blond man suddenly had a name! It was Kid Curry! And he was Hannibal Heyes! And they were outlaws. And they were retired from outlawing. And they were waiting for an amnesty …
It was all there. At least most of it was, Heyes reasoned. He figured there might be one or two little things he forgot, but most of it was back. Heyes even remembered how the Kid had earned amnesty but he had not, and how he had gone to visit the Governor personally to pick up his amnesty.
Heyes was overjoyed. All of these thoughts hit him at once. Heyes jumped up suddenly, knocking over the chair he was sitting on and surprising the Adamses.
"Land sakes!" cried Mrs. Adams. "What's all this?" Mr. Adams was staring at him, too.
Heyes tried to control the excitement in his voice. They looked so hopeful and he knew he was going to disappoint them, but he was too happy to control himself. "I know now who I am." He waited for a response; they were looking at him hopefully, happily. He almost told them he was Hannibal Heyes, but thought better of it at the last second. "My name isn't Mark. It's Joshua. Joshua Smith."
"A nice Biblical name," beamed Mrs. Adams, while Mr. Adams came over and shook his hand. "Hello, Joshua," he said. "Nice to make your acquaintance." They didn't seem to be disappointed that he remembered everything, and that took a load off his mind. Mr. Adams asked what made him remember suddenly.
"I don't know. Been wondering that myself." Heyes looked out the window. "All I know is I was looking at the road, my headache just went away, and then I remembered!"
"Oh, Joshua," Mrs. Adams threw her arms around him and he hugged her back. "I'm so happy for you." Mr. Adams patted him on the back. They both had big smiles on their faces. They were happy for him! He was happy for himself! Everything was right!
Heyes righted the chair he had knocked over and sat back down. They sat down too and implored him to tell them about himself.
"Uh…" He wanted to tell them who he really was but he couldn't prove that he had amnesty because his horse, the one with the amnesty papers in the saddlebag, had not been found. At least not by anyone around there. "I grew up in Kansas. Only child but my ma's brother lived nearby and I grew up with my cousin Jed." He looked at them. "He's the blond man I keep seeing in my mind."
Mrs. Adams said "Oh" liked he had just explained the mysteries of the universe to her.
Heyes continued. "Our families were killed in the Border Wars. One day we came back from our fishing hole to find our families had been murdered." He thought he would have trouble talking about this, but today the sadness wasn't there because of all the good feelings. When he looked at the Adamses, however, they both looked sad. He went on. "Jed and I, we were thrown in to the Valparaiso Home for Waywards because we were orphans. But they didn't treat us well, so we ran away. We – uh – went into business together. And we've been partners ever since!" He beamed at them, and they beamed back.
"So where do you live, Joshua?" asked Mr. Adams.
This was harder. "Well, we don't really live anywhere. We travel around a lot. It's the nature of our business," he hurried to explain. "We hire ourselves out to people. To deliver things or to help them out in … lots of ways."
They looked puzzled. "Are you married?"
"No, neither one of us. But I must say," he added with a smile, remembering his amnesty grant, "lately I seem to have been giving a lot of thought to settling down!"
CHAPTER 19
When the Kid was only a half-day's ride away from Porterville, he sent Lom another telegram and waited for a reply. When Lom answered that Heyes still hadn't shown up, the Kid swore under his breath. There was no point in continuing on to Porterville; he might just as well turn around and retrace all his steps.
The Kid spotted some ancient apple trees and dismounted so he and his horse could enjoy a treat. He lay on his back and allowed the sun to beat on his tired body. He had been in the saddle for almost a month. He had searched and searched and found only a few leads. Each lead was promising but led to nothing. "Now what?!" he yelled to the heavens. It was too depressing and too frustrating. He put his hat over his face and fell asleep while trying to sort through the mystery.
All of a sudden he sat straight up. "My God!"
He knew where Heyes would be.
CHAPTER 20
Heyes sat in the familiar chair, staring at the familiar road, but this time he was not trying to remember who he was. This time he knew exactly who he was and was trying to plan his next steps. It was important to him, for so many reasons, to find the Kid and reunite with him. But Mr. and Mrs. Adams had told him he could stay on there as long as he wanted, and he felt good with them. They felt like family to him, and it had been many years since he had had a family other than the Kid. He knew he should be riding out of there right away to meet up with the Kid at Lom's place, and he really did want to do that, but he was drawn to his new family, too. He knew his continued absence would be worrying the Kid and he felt badly about that.
He fretted and fretted about it. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his only real family was the Kid. The things that they had endured together through the years were what counted. They had always been there for each other, at least until recently, and ultimately that was what he wanted. He wanted things to be the way they had been – only with the addition of the new freedom. That was very appealing to Heyes.
He thought back to the last time they had been together. It had been very sad because the Kid had been granted amnesty but he had felt that they should separate permanently because of it. He knew he had caused grief but did not regret his decision, which he still believed was sound. Since everything had changed, it was up to him to find the Kid and try to make it up to him. Where would the Kid be? Lom's? Probably. Or Lom might know where he was. Heyes leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He remembered their last conversation together. He cared so much about his partner that leaving him had been very difficult. What had the Kid said? He was so hurt he hadn't said much. Something about meeting back in Purgatory in a month…
Heyes jumped to his feet. "What day is it?!"
CHAPTER 21
The Kid was in a bad mood, and the Kid in a bad mood was not a good thing. He was tired, dirty and emotionally exhausted. He had had so many ups and downs in the last month that he was plumb worn out. He was angry at the world and angry at himself for being impatient. He felt like hitting something, not even fully understanding just how angry he was.
And on top of all that, as he approached his hotel room after supper, there was a light showing underneath the door! He knew he hadn't left a lamp burning. Sometimes a desk manager would prepare a room like that for a guest … but he thought he still heard someone inside. He tried the knob. It was locked, and that meant it was no desk manager. He inserted his key and noiselessly unlocked the door. With all senses alert, he drew his gun. With his other hand, he flung the door open.
And found himself looking straight into the startled eyes of Hannibal Heyes!
Heyes looked at the gun and offered a crooked smile. "Whoa! Don't you like me anymore?"
The Kid just stared.
"Come on, Kid, put the gun down. I'm not gonna draw on you. I promise."
With the finely tuned sensibilities of a gunman, the Kid was allowing the situation to sink in before responding. After all he had gone through to find Heyes, it just wasn't possible that he could be sitting right there in front of him.
"If you're tryin' to scare me, it's working. Will you please put that thing down?! And close your mouth. I'm really here."
The Kid closed his mouth. "Heyes?"
Heyes laughed. He couldn't help it; it was just so good to see his friend again. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry for breaking into your room. Thought you were really going to shoot me there for a minute."
It took a while before the Kid finally understood that Heyes was truly sitting there. But the Kid's relief and delight were overshadowed by his anger. "Where in the hell were you? Do you know where I've been? I've been on the road for a month looking for… for you! I've been all over tarnation looking for you. What happened to you?"
Heyes lowered his eyes. "Oh … that."
The Kid was shouting now. "What do you mean 'oh that'? I'm tired, and I'm road sore, I had to borrow money from Lom, and I'm almost broke again. And all on account of you and your disappearing act. What the hell's the matter with you?!"
Heyes smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see you care about me. It's good to have someone watching your back, Kid."
"Only if there's a back to watch. Where… were… you?"
Heyes laughed again. "I figured you'd have found me before this."
"How'd you expect me to find you the way you covered your tracks?!"
"Oh, come on, Kid. I bet I left a trail a blind squirrel could follow."
The Kid suddenly became very calm. Heyes recognized that his friend was not to be teased any longer. "I'm gonna ask you one more time. Where in the hell were you?!"
Softly, Heyes said, "I was in Cheyenne, Kid. A couple named Adams took care of me. When I was coming back to Lom's to meet up with you, my horse threw me and I hit my head. They found me and nursed me back to health but I lost my memory. It took a long time to remember who I was. Who you were. Or anything else."
The Kid finally understood and lowered the gun. All he said was, "Oh."
Heyes was wistful when he continued. "They're good people. They took care of me and wouldn't take any money. Matter of fact, they paid me to help them out around their place, but I left the money behind. They were like a family to me." He hesitated. "I'm truly sorry, Kid, for any agony I put you through. I sure didn't mean to." Heyes started to smile again. "When my memory came back to me in bits and pieces, it was always your face I saw. Was driving me crazy trying to figure out who you were. It sure is good to see you, Kid. For real, I mean."
"Are you all right?"
"Fine now." This probably had a double meaning, but the Kid chose to ignore it. In fact, the Kid stood stubbornly in the doorway looking at the floor, his gun hand hanging limply at his side. Heyes could see his mind working and tried to follow his thoughts.
In truth, the Kid was overwhelmed and just trying to sort out his emotions. As a gunfighter, he had trained himself to be steeled against emotion and to always wait for the opponent to make the first move. But, then, Heyes wasn't really his opponent. This was a situation he couldn't comprehend. He had been looking forward to seeing his partner again but was still very angry about the time spent following false trails to find him. And he was angry with himself for not saying the right things on that night, things that could have avoided all this. His anger and disappointment in himself were overshadowing everything else at the moment. Now that Heyes was safe, he realized that he never wanted to have to go through something like this again.
But Heyes had almost infinite patience. He watched and waited. He felt love for his friend and concern for the struggle he witnessed him going through. He watched closely to see the different emotions cross the Kid's face. He was distressed to see that they were mostly bad emotions. Heyes gritted his teeth and waited for the showdown.
Finally the Kid spoke. He continued to stare at the floor. "Heyes, I know you've been through a lot, but you don't know what I've been through."
"I know, Kid," said Heyes softly.
The Kid flashed his ice-cold blue eyes at him. "No, you don't! Goddamn it, you don't! Stop it! You've got no way of knowing! Hell, I've been all over this state looking for you. Everywhere! You did not leave a trail, no matter what you say. Every place I went, no one had seen you. No trails anywhere. I went back and forth to Lom's, I went to Cheyenne, I rode everywhere! You did not leave me a trail!"
Heyes opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it when the Kid flashed his cold eyes at him again. But the Kid didn't speak for a very long time either. Heyes watched as eventually his friend sighed and his shoulders dropped before he continued. "Finally I realized what day it was and just took a chance on coming back to Purgatory. Didn't really expect to find you here, though." He hesitated a long time, and then a slight smile crossed his face. His anger was spent. "Especially in my room." He ran his hands through his hair and looked out the window. "I'm sorry. I guess I've just got so much anger in me that … it's been . . . I don't know." The Kid looked sadly back at his partner. "Yeah, I do. That night … that first night … I just didn't understand … I let you down. I should have said something to stop you, but I didn't. Or at least given you some kind of support. We should have talked it over, at least. But I was a fool and didn't say anything and I just let you walk out of here with no idea where you were headed. I'm sorry." He shook his head. "After that you made it hard for me to find you, and I deserved it. I was plenty worried that maybe something happened to you. And I was afraid you'd go back to outlawing before I found you."
Heyes smiled. "I was thinking about it."
"Or that you'd head for Devil's Hole to hide."
Heyes sighed and looked out the window. "I guess I was thinking about that, too."
The Kid looked back at his friend. "Maybe you did the right thing. But I didn't know it. I was crazy with worry about what happened to you. It kept crossing my mind that maybe … I don't know … maybe… I guess I just don't want to ever have to go through that again, Heyes. You didn't know what was going on, but I didn't either."
Heyes was touched, comforted beyond belief by his friend's caring words. "I'll tell you again, Kid. It's good to see you."
The Kid gently said, "It's good to see you too." Heyes and the Kid looked at each other. You could tell what Heyes was feeling by looking in his deep brown eyes. The Kid liked that about Heyes; he always knew where he stood with him. Although he knew the Kid was not generally given to emotion, Heyes could not help himself and threw his arms around him. He was pleased to feel the Kid hugging him back. Everything finally really was all right.
They had a lot to tell each other, but preferred privacy. So the Kid went across the street to the saloon and got them a bottle of whiskey and two glasses and a couple of cigars and brought them back to the room. When he returned, Heyes was still sitting in the same chair by the window, so the Kid sat on the bed and they toasted each other. "To Kid Curry." "To Hannibal Heyes."
"To amnesty!"
Well, that's about it. Quite a story. That's as well as I can remember it. Seems like the older I get, the harder it is to remember a lot of the little details. Hope you liked it. I had to tell you about Purgatory and what happened there because it was "the beginning of the beginning" for the two of us. There're a lot more stories, of course. My grandsons never stop wanting to hear these stories, it seems. They love hearing the stories about the people Heyes and I knew - like Soapy and Big Mac McCready and Jenny and Danny Bilson and Clementine and Wheat and Diamond Jim Guffy and Lom and Anna, and they love the stories about the daring train robberies and the way Heyes could sweet-talk a safe open and especially about my fast draws. Oh, and Harry Briscoe, naturally. Thought I'd share the stories with you, too, now. But you know who I am, of course - Thaddeus Jones. I just tell the boys that I knew these two outlaws because Kid Curry was a distant relative. They believe me, all right. But you know, don't you?
Thaddeus Jones
Purgatory, Wyoming
Right nice little town
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
36