The Race

By HannaHeyes

The town of Westmount had a party atmosphere about it. Most of the townspeople were out decorating while their children played happily nearby. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry rode into town while balloons and banners were being hung.

"What's all this about?" Curry asked.

"Don't rightly know. Maybe we can find out." Heyes looked around and saw a man in front of them that had just finished hanging his share of the balloons. "Hey mister. Maybe you can enlighten us. What's all the fanfare about?"

"Why, the big horse race of course!" the man answered. "Going on this weekend. Folks from all over come and compete for the grand prize."

"And what would that be?" Heyes asked intrigued.

"Twenty-five hundred dollars."

"Well, isn't that interesting," Heyes said as his eyes sparked interest. A glance was exchanged with Curry.

"It's an endurance race," the man continued. "Starts Friday afternoon and ends Sunday. Got a bunch of people signed up. You interested?"

Heyes bit his lip, then smiled at Kid. "Maybe. What would I need to do?"

"Just head over to the courthouse and talk to the clerk. He'll get ya fixed up to go."

"Courthouse huh?" A pause. "Thanks mister." Heyes turned his horse to continue down the street. Kid clicked to his gelding to catch up.

"Heyes, you can't be thinking of entering that race," Kid said, his voice almost a whisper.

"It crossed my mind. Twenty-five hundred dollars would set us up for quite a while."

"Yeah, it would. But do you really think you'd have a chance of winnin'? There could be a lot of people to compete with and I'd say some of them has raced more than once.

"I know. But just think about it. Who better to win a horse race than someone who spends a good amount of his time outrunning posses? I think ol' Whiskey here has proved he's one of the fastest horses around."

Curry shook his head. "Whiskey? When did you name your horse Whiskey? I thought you'd settled on Clay?"

"Well, I had...until we stopped over in Piney Flatts. Remember that small celebration I had after winning that all evening, high stakes poker game?"

"How could I forget? I had to literally pull you out of the saloon before you started shoutin' my name to everybody within earshot. I told you before I went upstairs with Rosie not to drink so much on an empty stomach."

Heyes waved his hand in dismissal. "Anyway, the next morning when we went to saddle up to leave, I couldn't think of the name Clay to save my life. All I could think of was how much whiskey I had drunk that night. So I just decided to call him that. But, back to the subject of the race, we need to check out the local law first."

They momentarily rode nonchalantly past the sheriff's office. "Sheriff Joe Hatcher. Ring any bells for you Kid?"

"Nope. Sure don't."

Heyes smiled. "Let's go check into the hotel."

oooooooooooooooooooasjooooooooooooooooo

After checking in and cleaning off the trail dust, they casually asked around to find out who they might run into at the courthouse. Finding out it was no one they'd ever heard of before, Heyes deemed it safe to enter.

They headed down a small hallway. Attached to a board outside the clerk's office was a flyer about the race and a list of the participants. They studied it intently to see if they recognized anybody. None of the names were known by the two cousins. Heyes motioned his head for Kid to follow him into the office.

"Howdy," Heyes said opening the door to the clerk's office. A small round man looked up from his paperwork at his visitors over round, wire-rimmed glasses.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"We came to find out some details on the race this weekend." Heyes made himself comfortable in one of the chairs in front of the clerk's desk. Curry continued standing behind him.

"Well, I was getting ready to close the office for the day, but I guess it can wait a few more minutes." The clerk stopped his writing and looked up at his visitors. "It's a one hundred mile race ending in the town of Blue Hole. Blue Hole is just twenty five miles away on the main road, but the race course takes another route over varying terrain. You'll get a map of the course on the day of the race one hour before the start."

"How will you be able to tell that somebody didn't cheat and just ride the main road?" Heyes asked.

"The race officials have ridden the race course in preparation and left different colored markers with numbers on them that the racers will have to pick up to prove they rode the course. Nobody but the officials will know what the markers are. They're located in a big marked box in five different locations along the way. If you cross the finish line without all the proper markers, you're disqualified. So even though there are shortcuts to different parts of the course, no one will be able to use them and collect all five markers."

Heyes glanced at Kid who had come to sit beside him and made his decision. "Well, Thaddeus?" Curry shrugged his shoulders and gave a small nod of his head. "What do I need to do to sign up?"

"Due to a stroke of luck, in your case that is, there is one spot left open. It had been filled up until yesterday when one of the riders had to bow out due to a sickness." Noticing Heyes' look of slight confusion, he continued, "Only twenty-five are allowed to participate." He retrieved some papers from his desk drawer and pushed them over to the ex-outlaw along with something to write with. "Just fill this out here."

Heyes started filling in information as Kid looked over his shoulder and waited patiently. He smiled when Heyes got to the line that asked for his address and wrote 'wherever I happen to be at the moment'. Heyes rethought that answer though. He didn't need to do anything to draw questions out of anyone, so he erased the smart-alec sentence and wrote down Lom's address.

Five minutes later, the form was completed. He handed it back to the clerk who looked it over. "Very good Mister Smith. Here is your number to attach to your saddle bags." He handed over two pieces of cloth with the number '25' printed on them. "You are allowed to carry two canteens of water and jerky for the duration of the race which you will receive from the race officials before the start. There will be watering troughs for your horse at each marker location. A sidearm will be allowed with one round of ammunition to be used only in emergencies, but no rifles. Your gun will be inspected at each check station to record how many bullets are in the chamber. When you reach the halfway point sometime Saturday morning, you will be allowed to rest for no more than six hours. There will be some race officials there to mark you down arriving and departing. First one over the finish line in Blue Hole on Sunday wins. Be at the start line on Main Street at one o'clock tomorrow to get your supplies and map of the course. Good luck."

"Thanks."

The two partners left the courthouse and started making their way to the cafe, talking quietly. Across the street, a man walked out of the saloon and stopped to light up a cigar. The pair walking down the boardwalk caught his attention. "Was that...?" he murmured to himself as he stared at the two men. "It had to be. There's no mistaking that hat." A smile creased his face as he extinguished a match.

A small round man with round, wire-rimmed glasses emerged from the courthouse and crossed the street to stand beside him. "Henry," the first man said, "there's been a little change of plan..."

oooooooooooooooasjoooooooooooooooo

"Are you sure, Chuck?" Henry glanced once more across the restaurant at the subject of the conversation.

"Shh, not so loud. And quit staring before he sees you," Chuck Wilder said as he sipped some coffee. "Of course I'm sure. Hard to forget somebody you watched rob a bank."

"He don't look like a notorious outlaw."

"It don't matter. I know for a fact that is Hannibal Heyes."

"But it's been years since you was in that bank the Plummer gang robbed."

"He's older now but that's definitely him. I remember watching him open the bank's safe. Only took him a few minutes. I'd know that face and hat anywhere."

"Well, he just today registered for the race under the name of Joshua Smith. He called that guy with him Thaddeus."

"He's gonna be in the race?"

"Yeah. He was. But what are we waiting for? If that's really Heyes, let's go grab him and get that ten thousand dollar bounty on his head."

"Don't be in such a hurry, Henry. If we grab him now, it'll cause such a ruckus, the race may be called off. Besides, we don't know who that really is with him. I know you said he called him 'Thaddeus', but that could easily be Kid Curry. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get in a shootout with the fastest gun in the west." Chuck was quiet as he thought for a minute. "You said Heyes entered the race, right? Well, let him run it. And after you, Jeff, and Robby make sure I win, we'll get him as soon as he crosses the finish line and turn him in. Then, we'll have twelve thousand, and five hundred dollars to split, maybe twenty-two thousand and five if we could get Curry too."

oooooooooooasjoooooooooooo

Heyes sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Curry was seated at the room's table looking through the window at the town below. He noticed his partner stirring.

"'Bout time you got up. Don't want to be late for the race now do ya?"

Heyes yawned as he swung his legs over the bed. "I'm not going to be late. We got plenty of time to get down there." He got up and walked to the wash basin.

"Yeah, well I want breakfast first so get dressed." Curry saw Heyes roll his eyes in the mirror above the wash bowl.

"Quit rushing me. I like to eat too you know. We're not going to miss breakfast." Heyes finished washing his face off and inspected himself in the mirror.

"You're pretty, alright. Let's go." Curry stood up and threw his partner's pants at him.

"You act like you haven't eat in a week. Calm down." Heyes took his time getting dressed.

Curry stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. "You're slower than a turtle stuck in molasses."

Heyes smiled at his partner as he pulled his vest on which caused a look to be thrown his way. "Be with you in a minute. Gotta take these bullets out of my gun belt, remember?" It only took a minute to remove the extra ammunition and they left the room.

oooooasjooooo

"Welcome to the annual Westmount Endurance horse race!" a man announced from atop a podium. Cheers erupted from the crowd assembled near the starting line. "Now everyone should know the rules, but I'll go over them just in case we have some first timers here in the crowd."

The announcer continued his speech as Heyes readied his gelding for the race. He was having a little trouble attaching his number to his saddlebags. Curry walked over to him holding some popcorn.

"Havin' trouble?"

"No, I'm just playing around," Heyes snarked as he finally got the pin to go through the leather of his saddlbags.

"You really think this is a good idea? I mean, ain't you the one always tellin' me we need to keep a low profile? What if you actually win? They're liable to want to take pictures and everything."

"This is different though. We're not getting noticed for your fast draw. And I'm not the only one people will be focused on. There's twenty-four other people in this race. As for winning, I don't plan on doing it. I saw in those papers I had to sign yesterday that second place gets $1,000. So, I'll come in second and when the winner's getting all his accolades, I'll just go over and get the money from the race official, carefully avoiding any cameras that might be there, and be gone. That money'll set us up good for a long while. We can find us a place to lay low until the amnesty comes through."

"Your name, well, the name Joshua Smith, will be in the newspaper as coming in second you know."

"I know. I'd thought of that. But it'll be for something harmless. Besides, the governor don't know our aliases."

"Lom's liable to have a heart attack if he sees your, that, name in the paper."

"Like I've always said, there's lots of Smiths in this world. One of them somewhere is bound to be named Joshua. Anyway, I already sent Lom a telegraph this morning telling him what I was doing."

"And what was his reply?"

"I don't know. I didn't wait for one," Heyes smiled.

Curry rolled his eyes as the announcer raised his voice again. "Riders to the the starting line!"

Heyes mounted up. "Well, see you in Blue Hole. Wish me luck!"

Curry snorted. "Good luck. And Joshua, be careful."

"I'm always careful." Heyes rode over and positioned his horse at the starting line. Race officials were in the process of checking saddlebags and handing out canteens of water and jerky. Heyes pulled out his map and looked it over once more. The course looked like it went over some mountains and through a bit of desert.

Curry had relocated himself to stand at the edge of a building. He stood eating the last of his popcorn with a worried look on his face.

Heyes was the last one to get his saddlebags searched. Once the officials were through and had handed him his water and jerky, they nodded to the announcer.

"Alright, riders, get ready!" the announcer yelled. He lifted his arm in the air and fired a shot. "Go!"

The racers took off at a gallop. In no time, Heyes was taking the lead. His chestnut gelding was running for all he was worth. After a little bit, Heyes reigned him back ever so much. "No use to go all out yet boy," he said. That's not a posse back there and we got a looong way to go."

oooooasjooooo

Curry watched the horses run until he could no longer see his partner. He walked over to the cafe to get some lunch. It was almost empty. Only a few patrons scattered around the room were eating. Kid decided on a table in the back where he was partially obscured by a plant, but could still see everything. The waitress walked over as soon as he sat down.

"What can I get you handsome," she smiled.

Curry returned the smile. "Well, what's your special today?"

"We got some good chicken pot pie just freshly made."

"That sounds good. I'll have that and some coffee."

The flirting waitress sashayed off to the kitchen. In no time, she was back with his lunch. "Here ya are sweetie."

"Thanks." Curry couldn't help but wink at her. She blushed and walked away.

The cafe door opened and in walked three men. Curry gave them a passing glance to make sure he didn't know them. He recognized one as being the clerk from the courthouse. Nothing to worry about, so he went back to eating.

The three didn't notice him, thanks to the plant, when they sat down a couple of tables away. Henry ordered three coffees from the waitress. "Now, you boys remember what to do don't ya?" he asked when the waitress was gone.

"Of course we do," the burly one named Jeff said. "We make sure your cousin Chuck wins the race no matter what."

"Well, there's something extra now. That guy in the race with the number twenty-five is Hannibal Heyes."

"What?!" the other man, Robby, exclaimed.

Henry shushed him. "Shut up! We don't want everyone to know it."

But they had already gotten Curry's attention. He kept his head down eating and quietly scooted his chair further behind the plant, listening intently.

"If you and Chuck knew that, why didn't we just grab him and turn him in for the reward?" Jeff asked.

Henry waited for the coffee to be set down then continued. "Because Chuck was afraid that turning in such a famous outlaw could cause the race to be postponed and you know he has to get back to Colorado to try to get on that cattle drive coming up next month. So, we grab Heyes during the race and just hold him until we make sure Chuck wins. Then we'll have twelve thousand, five hundred dollars to split."

Robby looked excited. "When do we get him?"

"Whenever we have a good chance to. I ain't worried about the first part of the race. It's the last part we have to take care of to make sure Chuck wins. So I figured we could just take the shortcuts and try to get Heyes alone any chance we get. Once we have him, I'll take him on to Blue Hole and hold him there until the race is over, then we'll turn him in."

"You're going to hold the leader of the Devil's Hole Gang by yourself? You'll need help. The law can't even keep hold of him long. And what if his gang's close by? You know Kid Curry rides with him," Jeff whispered.

"Well, come to think of it, he did have somebody he called Thaddeus with him yesterday when he signed up to race."

Curry quietly maneuvered his chair so his back was to the group. He didn't dare look up.

"That was probably Curry. Have you seen him today?" Robby asked.

Henry thought a moment. "No, I haven't seen him today. But I bet he'll be waiting for Heyes in Blue Hole. And if we've already got Heyes, Curry might come with us without much trouble. Ain't they supposed to always watch out for each other?"

"Yeah," Jeff said. "But still, shouldn't one of us help you with Heyes? You don't get to be the leader of a gang of outlaws by being nice."

"You remember the poster says 'dead or alive'," Henry smiled. "If he starts to give me any trouble, I'll just take care of it right quick with a bullet."

Jeff and Robby chuckled at that. "And we might just end up with twenty-two thousand, five hundred to split!" They finished their coffee, then got up and left.

Curry's face had a look of intense anger on it. He dug in his pocket to leave some money on the table and got up to leave the cafe. Once out the door, he tried to locate the three that had been plotting against his partner. But they were nowhere to be seen.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had dropped to the middle of the pack. The riders were starting to get spaced out some as a few ran their horses at top speed while others were conserving their mount's power for later. Heyes looked ahead and saw a mountain coming up. It wasn't a huge mountain by any means but was still good sized. It was just a few moments and he was starting the ascent. He leaned forward in the saddle and let out the reins to help his gelding climb. The mountain trail was actually kind of smooth without too many rocks or crevices so he didn't slow down much.

Another rider went by him a little too close, nudging him off the trail some. His horse stumbled slightly and Heyes pulled up to a stop. He dismounted and checked all the gelding's legs. Satisfied that no injury had been sustained, he climbed back in the saddle and clicked Whiskey into a walk at first to make sure there was no limp. Whiskey walked just fine so Heyes pushed him back into a canter. The further up the mountain he got, he started to pass some riders.

oooooasjooooo

Curry was frantically searching the town for the three he'd overheard in the cafe. He stopped to ask someone, "Have you seen the court clerk, I think his name was Henry, and a couple of men with him?"

"No sir, I haven't," said a bespectacled man.

He hurried over to one of the men helping to take down the podium. "You haven't seen Henry the court clerk have you?"

The man stopped working and thought a second. Then his brow went up. "Actually, I have. Seen him come out of the cafe with a couple of men and take off on their horses. Took off fast too. Must've been in some hurry to get somewhere."

"Did you see which way they went?"

"No. Just seen them take off like the devil himself was after them."

"Look, I need to know the shortcuts to the race route."

"Now, I can't tell you that. Can't have someone helping their buddy win the race."

Curry ran an aggravated hand over his face, his other resting on his gun belt. "I don't want to help someone win. I think one the racers may be in trouble and I need to get to him."

"What kind of trouble?" the man looked skeptical.

"I don't have time to explain it. Just tell me where the shortcuts are." Curry unknowingly started to look threatening, enough so, that the man got a nervous look about him as he rethought his previous decision.

"No need to get riled now. I'll tell ya, s'long as you ain't planning on helping anyone to win. There's four of them between here and Blue Hole. The first one goes..."

oooooasjooooo

Heyes had reached the summit of the mountain and found a crate sitting beside the trail along with a race official. He came to a stop, dismounted, and led his horse to the makeshift water trough. "Howdy. I take it I'm supposed to take something in that box there with me."

"Sure are," the official said getting up and rummaging through the crate. "Ah, here we are." He pulled out a small round rock with 25-1 painted on it. He reached it up to Heyes who put it in his saddlebags. "You're the eighth one through here. Good luck."

"Thank you, sir," Heyes said as he mounted up and returned to the race.

The racers were very strung out now. Heyes was pretty much on his own. Every so often, he'd pass another participant.

oooooasjooooo

Henry, Jeff, and Robby were on their way up one of the shortcuts. Henry turned to talk to the other two. "Alright, this shortcut takes us up to slightly pass the second check point. I doubt those guys racing will still be riding close together by then. We'll find a good place for an ambush and grab Heyes as he comes by. Then you two can go on and make sure Chuck wins."

"We got it, we got it," Jeff yelled.

It didn't take them long to reach the race course. They immediately started looking for a good place to ambush their intended victim. Robby pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Hey, we better hurry up before any of those riders come by. Probably won't be long now."

"Up here," Henry said pointing to an outcropping of rocks. "Here's a good place. Right beside the road."

The three rode up to the boulders and dismounted. They led their horses around the rocks out of sight. Then they climbed and laid down on top of the highest boulder, watching the road, and waited.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry had ridden out of town and unknowingly taken the shortcut that led to the halfway point in the race. He was riding flat out uphill on his mission to get to Heyes to warn him of the impending danger.

oooooasjooooo

Evening had settled over the area. It wouldn't be long before it was completely dark. Heyes had settled into an easy gallop after he had left the first checkpoint. He was looking around, watching for other riders, but saw none. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it. "Be dark in about an hour, boy," he said, talking to his horse. "We'll have to slow down. Wonder how close we are to the second checkpoint?" As soon as he had asked that, he looked up ahead and saw a crate and trough just like the first checkpoint. He slowed to a stop. "Howdy," he said as he let his gelding drink.

"Hello there," the official said. He got up and dug in the crate. A different colored rock with 25-2 painted on it was produced.

Heyes took it and put it in his saddlebags next to the first one. "Thanks." His horse was still drinking. He pulled his head back with the reins so the gelding wouldn't drink too much. "So, how many ahead of me?"

"Just a couple. Guess the last one came through about ten minutes ago."

Whiskey tried to get back to the trough, but Heyes pulled him back once more. Then Heyes tipped his hat to the official as he left the second checkpoint.

oooooasjooooo

Up ahead about a quarter of a mile, three men lay on top of a boulder. One of the men had binoculars trained on the course in front of them. "Hey, somebody's coming," Jeff said.

"Let me see," Henry replied taking the binoculars out of Jeff's hand.

"Is it him?" Robby asked.

"I don't know yet. He'll have to get closer before I can see. But get ready in case it is."

Jeff and Robby checked to make sure their guns were fully loaded and mounted their horses. Henry kept looking down the road. After a couple of minutes, he smiled. "Well boys, here we go. We're about to catch us ten thousand dollars!" Henry climbed down off the boulder and mounted his horse. "You all remember what to do?" Heads were nodded. "And don't listen to a word he says. He ain't gonna just admit he's Hannibal Heyes."

"Don't worry, Henry," Jeff said with a scowl.

Heyes was coming at a gallop. He looked up ahead and saw someone beside the road. "Now what's going on up there?" He slowed his horse down to a walk and stopped beside the man. A look of confusion quickly showed on his face. "Howdy. Surely, this isn't the third checkpoint already."

"Oh, it's a checkpoint alright. The last one for you," Henry sneered.

Heyes put on his most disarming smile. "I don't understand."

He turned as he heard pistols being cocked and saw Jeff and Robby ride out from behind the rocks.

"Well, Mr. Heyes, this is where you exit the race," Henry explained.

"Heyes? My name isn't Heyes. It's Smith. You should know that. You're the guy at the courthouse that signed me up for this race."

"Shut up, Heyes. I didn't know then that it was you. But a cousin of mine identified you, and after he wins the race, we're gonna collect that reward on your head. And don't worry about your partner Curry coming to save you. We're gonna take care of him too in Blue Hole. I know he'll be there waiting for you to finish. Now, get off the horse."

Heyes stared defiantly at Henry and didn't move.

"Boys, why don't you help him down," Henry said. Jeff and Robby dismounted, all the time holding their guns on the ex-outlaw. Robby walked over and grabbed Heyes' revolver out of his holster while Jeff pulled him off to the ground. "Now don't move, unless you want a hole in your head," Henry continued. Jeff non too gently pulled Heyes' arms behind his back and tied his wrists tightly.

"I'm telling you, you're making a big mistake. I get mistaken for that outlaw all the time. Why just last week,..."

"Shut him up," Henry ordered. Jeff took Heyes' own bandana off his neck and gagged him with it. "Now, get him back on his horse and tie him on." Jeff and Robby did as ordered, tethering Heye's legs together under his horse. "Now you two, get to the other location and make sure Chuck wins. I'm gonna take Heyes to that cave just outside of Blue Hole so when Chuck finishes, come get me. We'll turn Heyes in and go after Curry." Jeff and Robby nodded then got on their horses and left. "Now you, Heyes. I don't want no trouble out of you. You try anything and I'll put a bullet through your heart. Remember, the poster says 'dead or alive'."

oooooasjooooo

As Curry neared the top of the mountain, there was a small plateau. Sitting in the middle was a make-shift cabin, water troughs and a couple of race officials playing blackjack to pass the time. He pulled his black horse to a quick stop. The officials looked up startled.

"Mister, you came from the wrong direction."

Curry shook his head. "I ain't in the race. I'm tryin' to catch up to my partner who is though. I think he may be in trouble. Anybody been through here yet?"

"No, nobody been by here yet, except you. What kind of trouble are you talking about? This is supposed to be a clean race. We won't tolerate no cheating."

"Well, I overheard that court clerk and a couple of his buddies sayin' they were gonna help their friend win. So I've got to get to my partner to warn him. Where does the race course go back there?"

"How do we know you're not the one trying to help his friend win?"

Curry's face turned angry. "Would I have come up here and told you something like that and asked YOU where the course is if I was the one doin' the cheatin'? Don't make much sense now does it?"

The officials looked at each other and then to the angry young man. "Well, no, don't guess it does."

"Now, where's the course go back there?"

One of the officials dug in a bag beside him and handed Curry a piece of paper. "This is a map of the course. If you can do anything to help us keep this race clean, well then, I guess it might be worth a small reward."

Curry looked the map over. "I ain't worried about the race. I'm worried about my partner." He slapped the reins and galloped off down the course in reverse, hoping to run into Heyes.

One official turned to the other. "You better ride on to Blue Hole and get a couple of men to try to find these 'friends' of that court clerk Henry who's gonna help somebody win. And I bet that somebody they want to win is Henry's cousin, Chuck Wilder."

oooooasjooooo

Henry was hurriedly leading Heyes' horse down off the mountain by way of one of the shortcuts. Heyes was struggling to get his hands untied. Jeff had done a decent job of tying the knots but with time, they just might loosen enough. Heyes looked at Henry to make sure he wasn't watching him. Henry didn't look like someone that could shoot very good, at least Heyes hoped he couldn't.

oooooasjooooo

Curry was racing down the course the wrong way. He saw a rider coming at him. He slowed a little, as did the man approaching him. When Curry saw it wasn't Heyes, he sped his horse back up.

"Hey," the other man yelled as he passed. '"You're going the wrong way!"

Curry ignored him. His eyes showed he was intent on one thing and one thing only.

He rode through the mountain pass and up another small hill. He passed by a big boulder beside the road. He kept on going until he saw one of the checkpoints. He pulled his black gelding to a stop right at the official sitting on a rock.

"Can I help you with something?" the startled official asked.

"Yeah. One of the officials from the race asked me to come find #25 Joshua Smith. They think he may be in trouble. Has he been through here?"

"What kind of trouble?"

"Look, I don't got time to explain. Just answer me." Curry's expression said not to ask anymore questions.

The official looked shaken. "Uh, yeah. He came through here already a while ago. He seemed fine then."

"I must've missed somethin'." Curry muttered. He nodded and touched his hat and took off back the way he had came.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes was still working at the ropes wrapped around his now raw, red wrists. Thankfully, Henry wasn't watching his captive as closely as he should have been. They had just reached the bottom of the mountain when Heyes finally got his hands loose. But his legs were still tied together under his horse. He kept his hands behind his back, rubbing the feeling back into them while he thought of what to do. Carefully watching Henry, he reached up and pulled his bandana out of his mouth and back down around his neck.

Heyes furrowed his brow as he made a decision. He slowly reached forward, grabbed the rein Henry was leading him by, and violently jerked it out of his hand. He slapped the loose rein on his gelding's flank as he turned around, and took off back the way they had come. Henry was stunned at first at the speed of what had just happened. Then he came to his senses and angrily pulled his revolver. He turned and shot at Heyes as he galloped away. Heyes was right in thinking Henry wasn't such a good shot. His bullets flew past the fleeing ex-outlaw leader without hitting him.

"Dang it!" Henry yelled as he turned and kicked his horse into pursuit.

oooooasjooooo

Kid Curry was busy carefully retracing his tracks. Somewhere, between the second and third checkpoint, Heyes had disappeared. He was watching the road closely. He passed by the boulder again. Something was different there. Curry stopped and dismounted to take a closer look. He put one knee on the ground and searched. Someone had laid down in the road. There were also footprints there. At least three horses had been standing there at one time going by the indentions in the dirt. Make that four horses. Two of the horses had left one way riding side by side. The other two had left another way, and it looked like one was walking in front of the other. Curry jumped back on his horse's back and galloped down the trail of one horse leading the other. "That has to be where Heyes is," he muttered to himself.

oooooasjooooo

Henry was trying to reload his pistol while chasing his bounty, but found it to be impossible. He gave up and put his gun back in his holster. He'd just have to run Heyes down. But Heyes was gaining ground on him. Henry beat his hat on his horse's flank, urging it to go faster. Heyes started the ascent back up the mountain and had to slightly slow down. That gave Henry a chance to catch up to him a little.

Heyes looked behind him and saw that Henry was now getting closer. "Dang it."

Henry suddenly remembered he had a rifle with him and reached to get it. He almost lost his balance, but remained in his saddle by grabbing the saddle horn. He tried to get a bead on his target. That was proving to be hard for him.

Heyes was careful where he led his horse to run. This trail didn't seemed to be used all that much. Rocks littered the road here and there. But he couldn't let Henry get too close. He looked back and saw the rifle pointed in his direction. "C'mon boy. Just a little faster!"

Henry finally fooled around and got his rifle pointed where he wanted it. He held it as steady as he could with the reins in his hands and fired.

oooooasjooooo

Curry was flying down the mountain when he heard a rifle shot. He yelled at his horse to go faster. Off in the distance, further down the trail, he saw a rider coming at him fast, followed by another. It had to be Heyes. He pulled his Colt out of his holster and prepared himself.

Heyes laid low on his horse's neck as the shot rang out. It whizzed closely by his right arm. He looked up and saw someone riding toward him at a gallop. "Sure hope that's not one of Henry's men." He had no choice but to go forward. There were no side trails and it was too rocky to try to make one at the speed he was going. At least the guy coming toward him hadn't shot yet.

Henry almost lost the grip on his rifle when he shot. His facial expression turned into a scowl as he saw that he had missed his target.

As Curry got closer, he could see it was Heyes being chased. He called out to him as loud as he could, "Joshua!"

Heyes only slightly heard him. He looked up and smiled as he realized who it was riding at him.

A minute later, they met. Curry thundered past Heyes, gun drawn and pointed at Henry. "Put down that rifle," he yelled.

Henry recognized that voice and hat. This certainly had to be Kid Curry. He jerked his horse to a stop and had started to turn when Curry reached him. "Stop where you are and I might not put a bullet in you," Kid commanded. Henry complied but did so unhappily. "Now throw that rifle and revolver on the ground slowly, one at a time."

Henry frowned at the gunslinger, but did as he was told. "I take it your name is really Kid Curry."

"No, it's Thaddeus, but you don't worry about what my name is. You just worry about doin' what I tell you." Henry threw down his weapons. "Now, get off your horse and lay on the ground."

Henry obeyed the order and Curry dismounted, still pointing his revolver. By this time, Heyes had come back. "Joshua, would you do the honor of tying this varmint up."

Heyes smiled as he finally got the chance to untie his legs and he too dismounted. He took some rawhide thongs out of Curry's saddlebag and tied Henry's hands behind his back just as Henry had previously done to him. "Doesn't feel too comfortable does it?" Heyes asked sarcastically as he hauled Henry to his feet. "Now, what in the world gave you the idea that I was Hannibal Heyes?"

Henry looked disgustedly at him. "Chuck, my cousin, told me. Said he watched you rob a bank once with the Plummer Gang."

"Well, your cousin is mistaken. My name is Joshua Smith like I told you back in the courthouse. If I was Hannibal Heyes, why on earth would I be entering a horse race? That would be too much exposure for a notorious outlaw don't you think?"

Henry didn't reply as he pondered the question. He just looked at Heyes with a hint of doubt and anger in his eyes.

"Now, we're gonna take you back to the race officials at the halfway point and tell them about you and your buddies' little plan. They can deal with you. You've probably already cost me the win." Heyes and Curry helped Henry up into his saddle. Heyes took the rope he had just removed from himself minutes before, and tied Henry on his horse. Then the two ex-outlaws remounted themselves. Heyes grabbed Henry's reins and led the way.

oooooasjooooo

They reached the third and halfway checkpoint after nightfall and rode right up to the officials, dismounting, then getting Henry down.

"What have we got here?" one of the officials asked as he stood up.

Heyes got down and shook the official's hand. "Well sir, my name is Joshua Smith and what we got here is a cheater. This is Henry, the clerk at the courthouse back in Westmount."

"Yeah, I know Henry," the official said.

"Henry here and a couple of his buddies are trying to sabotage the race so their friend Chuck can win. He'd already taken me out, but luckily, my partner overheard their plans and showed up in time to put a stop to it."

"I took him out because he's Hannibal Heyes, ... I think," Henry said.

The official looked at Heyes. "Hannibal Heyes huh? That right? You that outlaw?"

Heyes looked downright offended. "Do you realize how crazy that is? Of course I'm not that thieving outlaw. Would an outlaw chance being seen in a horse race? Besides, Heyes is probably rolling in money from all the jobs his gang has pulled. He wouldn't be interested in the amount a win in a horse race would bring."

The official looked skeptical, then started to laugh. "No, I have to say I can't see a big time outlaw like Heyes entering a horse race." He motioned to the other official to join him. "Alright now, what do we do with you Henry?"

"If I may," Heyes interjected, "why don't you keep Henry here with you until the race is over. Then my partner here and your co-official can go take care of the other two cheaters out to wreck the race. I'm sure with a little provoking, Henry will tell us where his friends are located. What do you say Henry? I'm sure the law will go easier on you if you cooperate."

Curry eyed Henry until the man looked down at the ground defeated. He nudged some dirt with the toe of his boot. "Alright. I'll tell you."

"Good," the first official said. "And we can stop Chuck and take him out of the race right now. He's here somewhere, taking a nap before going on."

Curry nodded to Heyes. "If you'll excuse us gentlemen, I'd like to talk to my partner here in private while you get the information you need." The officials nodded their agreement and Curry led Heyes over to a vacated spot. "Heyes, are you sure you want to stay in this race?

"Of course I do. Even third place pays $500."

"But what if somebody starts to believe Henry. They'd be waitin' for you at the finish line."

"Kid, you saw how that official responded. Nobody in their right mind is gonna believe Hannibal Heyes would chance being seen in a horse race. Especially all the way down here. And besides, we need the money."

"I know we need the money. It just seems too risky to me, that's all."

"It'll be okay. The guys that know who I am are in trouble for cheating. Nobody's going to believe them. I'll be fine. I'll go finish at least third hopefully and we'll be set for a while. Quit worrying."

"Alright, Heyes. I hope you know what you're doin'."

Having come to an agreement, the two walked back over to the officials.

"Gentlemen, Henry's told us exactly where his friends should be at," the first official said. "And we've decided that a couple of our volunteers who were helping with the lunches here can take Henry and Chuck back to Westmount to jail. Cheating in this race is taken seriously and will not be tolerated. And if you don't mind, Mister...?"

"Jones."

"Mister Jones. If you don't mind to help my partner find those other two cheating scoundrels, it would be a big help."

"Don't mind at all."

"Good. You two can get started immediately. Henry said their names were Jeff and Robby. And if they're the two I'm thinking of, they ain't worth much. Been in and out of jail I don't know how many times. Can't believe a thing they say. Mister Smith, the marker for this checkpoint is over there in the box. Your's will have 25-3 on it. Don't forget to get it before you take back off."

"Yes sir. Thanks. Thaddeus, be careful. I'm going to grab a bite to eat while Whiskey rests a little. I'll meet you in Blue Hole." Heyes walked over to where the lunches were being served.

Kid eyed the food hungrily before sighing and turning to follow the official.

oooooasjooooo

Saturday afternoon found Heyes crossing through the desert part of the course. The sky was clear and the sun beat mercilessly down. The horizon was wavy with heat. He slowed Whiskey and wiped the sweat from his brow. He took a drink from the second of his canteens. Seconds later, he heard hoofbeats behind him. Looking around, he saw one of his competitors closing on him. He put away the canteen, slapped the reins and resumed a gallop.

oooooasjooooo

Saturday afternoon also found Kid Curry and the official named Bill getting close to the first place where one of Henry's friends were. They slowed their horses to a stop and looked around.

"See anything?" Bill asked.

"No, not yet," Curry answered, squinting in the sun. He scanned his surroundings, looking for anything that may be out of place. His eyes wondered up to an outcropping of rocks and boulders. He was about to look away when the sun glinted off something. "I think I've found what we're lookin' for."

"What is it?"

"Up there, in the rocks. Someone's up there with a gun." Curry jumped off his horse and twisted the reins around a nearby tree. "Better get down. Whoever's up there might start shooting if he hears horses comin'."

Bill agreed and got down. They started the climb up to the rocks, trying to stay hidden in the trees and bushes along the way.

oooooasjooooo

Heyes was increasing the interval between himself and the rider behind him. He looked around to check on his competitor. He looked around at the right time as he saw the rider's horse stumble, then fall as a hoof caught a loose rock the wrong way.

"Ahhh, dang it," he said as he stopped his horse. His eyes looked forward as he really wanted to be on his way. Then he looked back as he couldn't just leave someone in the hot desert, especially if his horse was injured. He turned and galloped back to the fallen man to offer assistance.

Heyes reached the man within a minute. "Hi there. Saw your horse go down. You alright?"

The man was picking himself up off the ground. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered as he dusted himself off. "Don't know about my horse though."

Heyes got down and helped the man check his horse over. The animal limped as it tried to walk away. Heyes grabbed the reins as the man examined the last leg. "Acts like he mighta sprained his ankle or something."

"Yeah," the man said standing back up. "Sure can't ride him limping like that." He wiped his brow with a dirty bandana.

"Well, I think we're close to the fourth checkpoint. Guess we could ride double and lead your horse there, try to get him some help."

The man shook his head. "I hate to burden you mister, but that does look to be the only thing to do, besides walk that is."

"C'mon then. We better be going then." Heyes mounted his horse and the man climbed up behind him. He reached out and took his horse's reins and they took off at a slow pace to accommodate the injured gelding.

oooooasjooooo

Curry and Bill had almost reached the summit of the pile of boulders. Curry motioned for his companion to be quiet and to go the opposite way of him. Bill did so and Curry started his approach behind the man. He pulled his .45 from his holster as he got into position. "Don't move less'n you want a hole in you."

Robby turned around wide-eyed. "What are you doing mister? I ain't got nothing to steal."

"This ain't a hold-up. This is catchin' a man about to do some cheatin'. Now throw down that rifle."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Bill stepped out of his hiding spot. "Yeah you do, Robby. Henry told us all about the plan you all cooked up."

Curry stepped over and unholstered Robby's pistol. He stuck it in the back of his pants then picked up the rifle. "Tie him up, Bill."

"Why'd he go and do a thing like that? We was gonna get alot of money." Robby was clearly angry.

Bill finished tying Robby's hands. "Well now you get nothing, except a trip to jail."

oooooasjooooo

After thirty minutes of riding, Heyes and his passenger reached the fourth checkpoint. The man hopped down. "Much abliged, Mister Smith." He led his limp horse over to the shade.

"No problem," Heyes said. He started looking for the crate with the markers. As he located it, an official came over. "Hi. That man's horse is limping. Can you help him?"

"Yeah," the official said. "After the last rider comes through, I'll help him to town through a shortcut." He dug around in the crate and pulled out another rock. This one had 25-4 on it. Here you go."

Heyes took the rock and placed it next to the others in his saddlebag. "How many ahead of me?"

"About ten."

"Thanks." Heyes slapped the reins and was off to the fifth and last checkpoint.

oooooasjooooo

It didn't take long for Curry to find Henry's other partner in crime. Jeff was perched in a grove of trees right next to the road. But he had seen them coming and started to shoot. Curry and Bill had hurriedly got out of the line of fire. Bill led Robby around a rock so he'd be safe. Curry took cover behind an old, dying tree. He called out, "You might as well give up. We ain't in the race. We're here to prevent you from ruinin' it."

"How do you know I was?" Jeff called.

"Because your pal Henry told us all about it. Now throw down your gun and get out of that tree."

"Why don't you make me?" Jeff yelled as he shot yet again. The bullet dug into the tree in front of Kid.

Robby got scared and threw himself on the ground as Bill crouched next to him, ready for a fire fight.

"Alright, have it your way," Curry muttered. He took careful aim and grazed Jeff's arm just enough to make him lose his balance. He fell out of the tree, cursing.

"Ow!" Jeff yelled as he hit the ground and dropped his gun.

Curry ran up to him, took his weapons, then stared him in the eyes. "I told you to get down."

oooooasjooooo

Sunday morning came and Heyes was past the last checkpoint. He was in the home stretch now. He was in fifth place and gaining on fourth. The fourth place rider was laying the reins to his horse's flanks, but she was at top speed. The road had gotten narrow as it went through a mountain pass. It was wide enough for only two horses running side by side. Heyes caught up to the fourth place rider in the middle of the pass. But fourth place was intent on keeping his position. Everytime Heyes tried to pass, his path would be blocked. He tried time and time again to go around his competitor, but to no avail.

Finally, Heyes faked a move to the left and when the rider moved his horse over to block him, he quickly went to the right. In no time, he was riding side by side with fourth place in the tight space. The rider looked over at him angrily and urged his horse over into Whiskey. Heyes' leg was scraped against the rough rock wall and he was forced to slow down and get behind once again. It was all he could do to not cry out in pain. He furrowed his brow and tried the pass again. The pass started to widen as they came to the end of it and Heyes was able to pass the dirty rider without incident and give him a nice outlaw glare.

He set his sights on third place. He could see the third place rider further ahead of him. But he could also see the town of Blue Hole coming up. There was no time to reach second place. He'd have to settle for third if he could catch him. "C'mon boy, let's go!" His hat flew from his head and was bouncing behind him as the stampede string held it around his neck.

The third place rider kept looking behind him nervously as Heyes approached him. He was catching him, but Heyes wasn't sure he'd have time to pass him. He gave Whiskey his head and let him run flat out. The town was coming up faster every second.

A few minutes later, Heyes had caught up with third place. They entered the town neck and neck. Heyes laid low and smiled as he felt Whiskey catch an extra burst of speed. It seemed his gelding wanted to win. He passed third place just as they neared the finish line. He galloped over the line and slowed Whiskey through his paces until he came to a stop. People were cheering and already had the winner surrounded. Just as Heyes had predicted, all attention was on the first place finisher. No one hardly paid him any mind. Right before he dismounted, he caught a glimpse of a familiar brown hat coming toward him.

"Thaddeus! How'd you get here so quick? I thought you were helping catch those cheaters." Heyes dismounted as he spoke.

"I did help get them. But Bill, that was the official with me, said he'd take them back to Westmount by himself so I could be here to see you finish the race. Even gave me $20 for helping him."

As Curry spoke, another familiar hat showed up, with a familiar sheriff underneath it.

Heyes saw him first. "Lom! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." He roughly grabbed Heyes by the arm and led him away from the crowd. Curry followed. "Have you lost your crazy mind?"

Heyes smiled at him. "Nope. Just getting us some money to do us a little while."

"You took a big risk. Anybody could've been around to identify you!"

Heyes looked at Curry and smiled.

Lom saw it also. "Alright boys. I can tell something went on here. What was it?"

"Nothing Lom," Heyes lied smoothly. "Nothing at all. Did you just come down to see me race."

"No, I came because I figured there'd be trouble since you two were involved. When I read in your telegraph what was going on, I almost choked on my coffee because I just KNEW you couldn't resist it, AND you didn't reply to the telegraph I sent back to you in Westmount.

"Well, since you're here, have you heard anything from our mutual friend?"

Lom sighed. "No, I haven't. Sorry boys."

Heyes smirked. "Well, I'm gonna go collect my money and get out of here before the pictures start flashing." He walked over to where the officials stood.

Lom turned to Kid. "Alright, Kid. Spill it. What went on? Nothing ever goes smoothly with you two."

"Everythin's fine Lom. Just fine."

Lom just sighed agitatedly.

A few moments later, Heyes returned, counting money in an envelope.

"Look at this Thaddeus. $500 big ones and we actually get to keep it."

"'Bout time."

"Lom, can we treat you to a drink?"

"No, I got to be getting back to Porterville. You boys go lay low somewhere for a while, please."

"Maybe we'll go to Porterville," Heyes smiled.

"NO. You ain't coming to Porterville. Now I got to be going. You two behave, if that's even a possibility. See you boys."

Lom turned to go when Heyes called out, "Hey Lom, wanna race?"