CHRISTMAS CAPTURE
(Author's Note: This is my first offering in the ASJ series and is just a short portion of the entire story. I have added the character of Margaret Cashilyn Malone (Cashie) as a female outlaw who has been with Heyes and Curry for eight years, the past three trying to win amnesty. She and Heyes are a couple, but she is very close to the Kid as a friend.)
The three outlaws were riding with all their strength and as hard as the horses could go. But the posse kept after them. It wasn't long before there was a decided change in the air. The wind had picked up and was blowing so hard they had to cinch their hats to keep them from flying off. The temperature had dropped too, dipping way below what they had originally been riding in. Soon snowflakes began falling.
They ducked behind a grove of trees to shield themselves and the horses from the vicious wind. It also gave them a chance to look behind and carefully check the status of the posse. They were relieved to see the men had fallen back, or so it seemed. The weather had probably played a huge role in their decision not to continue chasing the outlaws.
"I think the weather got 'em," Heyes yelled over the voracity of the wind.
Cashie and the Kid nodded. They stayed behind the grove for a while longer until they felt confident no one was coming after them, and the cold made it impossible to remain.
"We gotta find shelter!" the Kid yelled.
Heyes nodded, and the three set off in the ever-increasing snowstorm to find a place to get in out of the wind and freezing temperature. Nothing was visible across the plain, so they trudged on as the snow became deeper and the wind more piercing.
Heyes kept an eye on Cashie. He knew she was tired and cold. They all were, but she was of most concern to him. He pulled his horse up beside her and reached out to grab her arm.
"You all right?" he questioned.
Her face was wind chapped, and even with the coat and gloves he could tell she was freezing. He knew they had to find a place to weather the storm, and soon.
As luck would have it, they came upon an old cabin nestled in a sea of trees. Heyes saw it first and pointed it out to his companions. They nudged their horses toward the shack. Heyes dismounted first and checked to see if anyone was around. Seeing no one, he opened the door and found the cabin empty and cold, but there was a small fireplace and a separate room. Probably a hunter's cabin used occasionally. With the fierce storm around them, it offered the perfect point of shelter and seclusion from not only the weather but prying eyes looking to bring in three outlaws on the run.
Heyes turned back to his friends and nodded. Cashie and the Kid dismounted, and they took their bedrolls and saddlebags, as well as rifles, off the horses and ran inside. The horses they let go, hoping they could find their own shelter. At the moment, the two men and one woman needed warmth and respite more than horses. If their choices were to go to jail or freeze to death, the former was preferable.
They dropped their belongings on the floor, and the Kid checked out the fireplace while Heyes helped Cashie sit down in one of two chairs the cabin had to offer. She was stiff and frozen and barely able to speak.
"I'll go find some firewood," the Kid said and strode out the door in a hurry.
Heyes checked the other room and found a couple of blankets. He pulled one around Cashie and pulled her to him for added warmth. That was all he could offer her until the Kid came back with some wood and they could build a fire.
It wasn't long until the gunman opened the door, his arms carrying a huge load of sticks, twigs and tree branches. Luckily, the storm was breaking off dead limbs all around the cabin, so firewood was plentiful for the time being. He hurried to the fireplace and set the pieces in the hearth in formation to start the fire. Then he pulled some straw and leaves from his coat pocket and strewed them across the top and in the middle. He struck a match on the stones and proceeded to set fire to the straw and leaves. Soon the wood was crackling, and a warm glow filled the cabin.
Heyes helped Cashie move closer to the fire. He handed the extra blanket to the Kid and the three of them nestled together in front of the fireplace, trying to preserve every measure of heat they could squeeze from the fire and from each other. It was hardly the first time and probably wouldn't be the last time they had survived harsh weather this way.
Soon the room began to feel toasty, though the wind was whistling through cracks in the sides of the cabin and around the door. When they could feel their feet and hands again, they would try to do something to alleviate that situation, but for now getting their bodies warmer was the most important issue.
No one said a word as they began to thaw, their bodies aching from the cold and from sheer exhaustion. They hadn't eaten since the morning, and that was another consideration they would have to address eventually. Water wasn't a problem. At least they could melt some snow to keep hydrated.
As Heyes grew warmer, he looked over at Cashie and could tell she was getting warmer too. He kissed her cheek lightly and simply asked, "Better?" She nodded. He gave her a weak smile and looked over at his partner questioningly.
The Kid nodded. "Me too, "he said. "Any idea where we are?"
Heyes thought about the day they had experienced, considering where they had started from and how hard they had ridden, the direction and a whole slew of other factors. "Maybe still Nebraska, maybe Iowa," he answered. "Not sure, but I know we weren't far from the state line when we left Martinsburg."
Curry nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking that too."
He got up and started exploring the contents of the cabin. There was only a small table, the two chairs, and an old kitchen cabinet. He opened its doors and plundered the contents until he found a bucket and a ladle. "I'm gonna go get some snow," he said and went out the door, struggling to close it against the strong wind.
Heyes looked into Cashie's eyes. She had said very little the entire day. There wasn't time or energy for anything but riding and running and surviving. It was good to finally have a respite when they could relax a bit. "You're awfully quiet," he said, brushing her hair back from her eyes. "Sure you're all right?"
She let out a deep sigh and looked at him with tears in her eyes. She nodded and then laid her head on his shoulder.
He pulled her closer and wrapped the blanket even tighter around them. "I know this isn't how we intended to spend Christmas Eve, honey. I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," she whispered. "Just the way it is."
Heyes closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't help but think of Jason Stuart and the kind of life he could have offered Cashie instead of this bleak, cold cabin in the middle of nowhere on such a special night of the year. He wondered if his lady was thinking the same thing.
The door opened, and the Kid came in with a bucket full of snow, which he sat near the fire to melt so they would have drinking water. "Still pretty rough out there," he informed his friends. "The snow is coming down hard and heavy now."
"Thank goodness we found this place before we froze to death," Heyes answered. "You think the horses'll be all right, too?"
The Kid shrugged. "Hope so," he muttered. He motioned toward Cashie. "How's our girl doin'?"
Heyes turned his eyes toward Cashie and laid his cheek against her hair. "Warmin' up like we are." His words and tone sounded positive, but he looked back at the Kid and shook his head just enough that his partner could see without Cashie knowing what he'd done.
Kid cast his eyes toward the fire. He knew as much as Heyes did that it wasn't just the cold or the hunger or the tiredness that was affecting her. They'd had plans to celebrate Christmas together with a good meal and some good fellowship.
But that sheriff in Martinsburg had put the screws to their plans. They were together, all right, just not in the way they had planned. There would be no joy or comfort or celebration this Christmas. They'd be lucky if they survived this storm and could make it to another town without starving, freezing or getting caught and put in jail. It was not the life or the holiday they wanted, but it was the one they got. Heyes and the Kid could weather it better than Cashie, and they both knew it. She was a strong woman, but all these elements put together were taking a toll on her.
"I'll see if we got some jerky left," the Kid said and got up to check their saddlebags. He found a few pieces and brought them over, handing a piece to Heyes and another to Cashie. Then he filled the ladle with the melted snow and took a sip before refilling it and handing it to Cashie. She drank some and passed it on to Heyes. He'd nearly finished his jerky, but Cashie had only taken one bite.
"You got to eat some more, sweetheart," Heyes whispered. "We need to keep our strength up until me and the Kid can get out and hunt us something better." She didn't question him, just took another bite of the jerky. "I know it's not the Christmas we had planned," he said, trying to reassure her. "But at least the posse didn't catch us, and we found a place to shelter out the storm."
She nodded and continued chewing her jerky. Neither man had anything more they could offer her or one another except to try to stay warm and wait out the weather.
Heyes and the Kid took turns bringing in firewood for the night. They stacked as much as they could inside the cabin, hoping it would be enough until daylight. Heyes rolled out his and Cashie's bedrolls in front of the fireplace, the Kid putting his close by. They would huddle there and try to get some sleep, the two men taking turns stoking the fire.
Heyes pulled Cashie close and bundled the blanket around them. She laid her head on his shoulder and was soon taken over by sleep. He was glad she could rest, even if he and the Kid had to take care of the fire and keep a lookout for intruders. They knew there was still a possibility that the posse or some of its members might still be poking around out there somewhere or, at the very least, waiting out the storm so they could continue the hunt. Twenty-five thousand dollars was a big motivator, and they knew that better than anyone.
Christmas morning came uneventfully. The snow had stopped, but there was at least a foot or more on the ground. The wind had died down too, but the sky was still clouded.
The Kid was the first to stretch and rise. He needed to get more firewood as they'd gone through the stack they'd brought in the night before. He left Heyes and Cashie asleep in front of the fire, hoping they were warm and rested. He wanted to get the fire replenished and the cabin warmer before they awoke.
Kid closed the door quietly, no longer having to slam it against the might of the wind. The cabin and everything around it was covered in the purest, softest snow he'd seen in a good while. If they weren't stranded without provisions, it would have been a beautiful spot to spend Christmas Day. He shook his head and went out into the yard looking for more firewood. He wasn't disappointed.
As he was gathering an armload of branches, the Kid heard a twig snap. He turned around quickly to check on the source of the sound. With his arms full of wood, he wasn't in any position to draw his gun, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. There stood a man with his gun already pointed at the Kid. There was nothing he could do but hold still and hope for the best.
"Don't move," the man said tersely. "Don't matter to me if you're dead or alive, you're still worth ten thousand dollars."
The Kid didn't move a muscle. "Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer alive," he stated.
"Where's Heyes and the woman?" the man asked.
"Inside the cabin. I was gettin' some firewood for the fire. It's freezin' in case you hadn't noticed."
"Sure I noticed," the man spat out the words. "The sheriff and the rest of the posse turned back when the storm hit, but I hunkered down and waited for it to break. I figured you'd be lookin' to find someplace too. Lucky you found this cabin."
Kid nodded. "Yeah, real lucky," he said, his words filled with sarcasm. "So, can I take this wood inside or are we gonna stay out here and freeze to death?"
"Well, now, that depends," the man answered. "I need that gun out of your holster." He reached and took Kid's gun and stepped back. "And I presume your friends have more weapons inside."
"You'd presume right, mister," the Kid said wryly. "But when I left they were still asleep."
"All right, then, you just turn around and walk real slow to the cabin, open the door and tell them to give up their guns or I'm gonna put a bullet in your back. You got that?"
"I got it," Kid nodded, turned and started walking slowly towards the cabin as he was told. When he reached the door, he had to shift the load of firewood to free his hand to open it. Slowly he turned the knob and pushed against the wooden door. "Heyes," he called. "Cashie?"
The sound of the Kid's voice woke Heyes and Cashie at the same time. Heyes was wondering why Kid had left the door open. Cashie lifted her head and he pulled his arm from around her and started to sit up. "Why don't you close the door…" he began and then saw his partner's eyes shift to the side to indicate the man behind him.
"We got company," Kid stated. He walked on into the room and moved aside so his friends could see the man with the gun behind him.
"Get me those guns," the man said harshly, "or this one gets a bullet in the back."
Heyes and Cashie sat up slowly. Heyes reached over to his holster beside the bedroll and pulled out his gun slowly and slid it toward the man. Then he got up, grabbed the rifles rested against the stone fireplace and laid them near the man before stepping back with his hands up. Cashie remained on the floor, partially under the blanket still.
"What about her?" the man motioned. "I'm sure she's got a gun stashed somewhere. Pull that blanket off and let me see."
Heyes reached down and pulled the blanket away and helped Cashie get to her feet. Her gun and holster were on the table. "Over there," Heyes motioned.
"Get it and put it with the others," the man ordered.
"Yes, sir," Heyes said and did as he was told. When he had put the last gun with the others, he said, "Mind telling us who you are, just for the record." He flashed an uneasy smile.
"Deputy Wentworth from Martinsburg," the man said. "I was with the posse following you three. The sheriff and rest of the men turned back when the weather hit. I waited it out, and here we are."
"Yep, here we are," Heyes repeated matter-of-factly. "Say, do you mind if we close that door and let my partner here get that fire blazin' before we all freeze to death?"
"I was gettin' to that." He motioned the gun toward Kid. "Feed that fire, will ya' and make it snappy."
The Kid knelt and added his load of branches and sticks to the coals left and stoked the fire until it was ablaze and filling the cabin with warmth once more.
"All right, now back away and put your hands up."
The Kid did as he was told.
"You do know it's Christmas Day," Heyes tried to argue with the deputy. "Are you really going to arrest us on Christmas Day? Seriously?"
The deputy laughed. "Don't matter to me if it's Christmas Day or any other day. You're all comin' with me back to the Martinsburg jail, and I'm gonna be a rich man. Now we can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way. Neither one of you two men has to be alive, only the woman."
He pulled some pieces of rope out of his coat pocket and threw them at Heyes. "Take some of that rope and tie your partner's hands behind his back. Make it nice and tight now. No funny business."
Heyes picked up a piece of rope and went over to the Kid, who already had his hands behind his back, waiting. When he finished, he waited for the deputy's next instruction.
"Now let your whore tie you up," he said with a snide look on his face, pointing at Heyes.
"You son-of-a-bitch! Don't you dare call her that!" Heyes yelled. "You know nothing about her!" His eyes flashed with fire.
The deputy laughed out loud. "I know she's a woman runnin' around with two men and word has it she ain't picky about which one she takes her pleasure with."
That's a lie!" Kid spat at the man.
Heyes went to grab the gun and teach him a lesson. "You take that back, you piece of shit. How dare you say such things…" but the deputy fired a shot that came close to hitting Heyes. He backed up but his face was red with fury. "You do what you want to us, but you keep your damn mouth shut at Cashie and things you know nothin' about," he growled in anger.
"Like I said to your pretty little slut," he motioned to Cashie, "tie him up or else he gets a bullet in his head."
Cashie's eyes were filled with hate, and Heyes looked like he would positively kill the deputy if he could get his hands on him.
"Go ahead, honey," he muttered, turning his back to her and putting his hands together. Cashie picked up the second piece of rope and did as she was told.
"Make sure it's plenty tight," the deputy barked.
When she had finished, Cashie turned back to the deputy. "Now what?" she asked.
The man laughed. "Now I get to tie you up, sweet thang. And if you try anything, one or both of your men gets a bullet in them."
Cashie set her jaw in a defiant look and turned around, her hands behind her back just as Heyes and Curry had done.
The deputy picked up the third piece of rope and told her to back away from the two men. He didn't want to take a chance that either one of them could possibly knock the gun out of his hands.
Cashie silently complied, but Heyes said sternly, "You better not hurt her."
"Oh, and what are you goin' to do about it if I do?" the deputy smarted off.
"Kill ya," Heyes said matter-of-factly. "Maybe not today or tomorrow. But one day."
"Hmmp," was the deputy's only reply. When he had finished tying Cashie's hands, he pushed her back toward Heyes. "Now we're gonna wait just a little while until it warms up a bit outside and then I'm a'gonna take you three back to town and to jail where you belong."
"How you gonna do that?" the Kid questioned. "We let our horses go in the storm last night. Are we supposed to walk through the snow?"
"Never you mind. I found your horses and got 'em stashed not far from here. We'll ride nice and slow, should be there before the sun goes down. Boy, Sheriff Riley sure will be proud of me. Might even give me a huge raise on top of that reward money."
Neither of the outlaws had any comeback to that remark. They sat down on the floor in front of the fire as the deputy demanded and waited. In a couple of hours, the sun had come out and the deputy deemed it time to start their trek back to Martinsburg. He gathered up all the guns, saddlebags and bedrolls and then marched the three outlaws outside to a small glen where he had tied the horses. He had to help each one get up on their horse, and then tied the three horses to each other. He threw their belongings over the horses in front of the riders, not really caring if they were tied down or not. Then he told them to ride, with him bringing up the rear, pistol in hand.
It was barely above freezing outside, even though the wind had died down since yesterday. Heyes, Cashie and the Kid had their coats and gloves on, but it didn't seem to help much in the frigid Nebraska air. They were cold, hungry and getting sore and tired from the uncomfortable position their hands were in. It seemed to take forever to get to Martinsburg. At least they might be warm and get some food in jail, unless the sheriff was as cold-hearted as his deputy.
It was almost dark by the time they stopped in front of the jail. The deputy got down and opened the door, calling for the sheriff. "I got 'em," he yelled with joy and pride like he'd just brought in a bear or a mountain lion.
The sheriff came outside to see what his deputy was yelling about, and his face lit up with surprise. "Well, damned if you didn't, Wentworth."
"I rode out the storm and then found 'em holed up in a cabin this mornin'. Got the drop on the Kid and the rest was easy."
The sheriff looked at the two men and woman, each appearing cold, tired and like they'd about gone their last mile. "Well, let's get 'em inside before we all freeze to death out here."
Then he and the deputy helped the outlaws off their horses and marched them into the jail, putting all three in one cell together. "Sorry I don't have a separate cell for you, ma'am," the sheriff said, "but I figure you'd rather be with these two anyway. I'll have a screen brought in so you can have some privacy around the chamber pot."
"It's fine, thank you," Cashie said in a solemn voice. "Can you please untie these ropes now?"
"I don't see why not as long as you don't try anything."
Heyes spoke up. "We just want to get warm, Sheriff, and maybe get something to eat. You think that would be possible?"
"Sure," she sheriff replied.
Heyes turned his hands to the bars so he could get untied while the deputy still held a gun on them. Then he untied Cashie and the Kid.
When the sheriff was satisfied they were secure and as comfortable as prisoners were allowed to be, he told his deputy to run over to the restaurant across the street and pick up some supper for them all. Once he was gone, the sheriff introduced himself and asked a few questions.
"I'm Sheriff Hank Riley," he said, "and I guess you're Hannibal Heyes," pointing to Heyes, "you're Cashie Malone," pointing to her, "and you must be Kid Curry," pointing at the Kid.
"You got it all right, Sheriff," Heyes answered without much enthusiasm. "So, what now?"
"Now we wait until I send a telegram to Wyoming and they send a marshal or marshals to come take you back there. In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable. It might take a while."
"We're actually glad to be in a warm place where we can get some food and some rest, Sheriff. That might sound strange, but it's the truth. It's been a hard few days, and it being Christmas ain't helped our moods much either."
He looked at Cashie when he said that last bit. "I'm sorry, honey," he whispered, putting his arm around her. She gave him a weak smile.
"Don't guess any day would be a good day for gettin' caught, but hopefully soon you can fill your bellies with some food and I've got plenty of coffee. I'll be back in as soon as the deputy gets here with supper."
"Thanks, Sheriff," Heyes replied, trying to sound sincere.
The three outlaws sat down on the one bunk the jail cell offered. They all looked dejected and hopeless.
Even Heyes could find little to feel positive about except that there was a warm stove and food should be coming soon. He held Cashie tightly to help keep her warm and try to comfort her as best he could, but inside his spirits were about as low as they had ever been.
When the food arrived, it wasn't very warm, but it filled their stomachs more than anything else had that day. The coffee the sheriff offered wasn't bad either, and it helped warm them. The deputy stoked the stove and added more wood, so the cell was fairly cozy. He closed the door and left the three alone to eat and talk a bit.
"It's not so bad in here compared to what we've been through the past 24 hours," the Kid stated. "Like you said, Heyes, it's warm, we got food and coffee, and a roof over our heads."
Heyes let out a sigh. "Yeah, we got that, Kid. For now."
Neither of them felt good about their situation. The running, cold and lack of food and rest had left them drained. They finished their food and coffee and leaned back against the brick wall behind them and tried to get comfortable. It was going to be another long night.
After about thirty minutes, the sheriff came back in to get their trays.
"It was good, Sheriff, thank you," Heyes said as politely as he could. "One more thing," he added as the sheriff turned to leave. "Could we get our bedrolls and some blankets so the Kid and me can sleep on the floor. We want Cashie to take the bunk."
Sheriff Riley studied the three. He could see how tired and worn out they were. "Sure," he said. "Be back in a minute with them."
He was a man of his word and soon came back to give the two men their belongings and some extra blankets. "I'll be staying tonight since Wentworth was out all night lookin' for you. I'll make sure the stove stays hot. Just let me know if you need anything else."
Heyes nodded and said, "Thanks, Sheriff."
The Kid chimed in too. "Yeah, thanks."
"Night," the lawman said and then shut the door between the cell and his office.
The men rolled out their bedrolls as they had the night before, but first they made sure Cashie was comfortable on the bunk.
Heyes covered her with a blanket. "You try to get some sleep," he whispered and kissed her forehead. "I love you." She nodded and closed her eyes.
Heyes and the Kid made their beds on the floor and covered themselves with the two remaining blankets. At least they didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking up on them tonight as they had the night before. That was one good thing about being in jail. They were safe, at least for the time being. All three soon drifted off to some much-needed sleep and rest.