PART 2

"PLAYING IT SAFE"

"Gradually, we were able to put our past behind us. We started out with what we knew best, banks - an' how to break into 'em." He grinned at her raised brow. "With some help from Big Mac McCreedy - an' Heyes' silvery tongue - we started our own security company, 'Playing It Safe.' I was the one to come up with the name, since that was pretty much all that Heyes was doin' - playin' his favorite game of breakin' into banks, only this time we were gettin' paid to do it!

"It didn't take long; once word got 'round that Hannibal Heyes was willin' to come in an' make their bank robbery proof, the managers had to stand in line an' take a number. When folks found out jus' how much of a genius Heyes really was, we could barely keep up with the work. My cousin was in his element; his mind was constantly bein' challenged to the limit, an' he thrived on it.

"As usual, I went along for the ride an' watched his back. Unfortunately, we found out real fast that I couldn't show up for work without my gun." His facial features hardened. "It never ceased to amaze me how many crooks out there still wanted to challenge me. Guess they didn't expect Kid Curry to 'retire', so I still had to defend myself as well as protect Heyes.

"We were very thorough and very serious. If we thought we were done, we staged a 'fake' break-in and tested ourselves. When Heyes an' me were done with a bank, it was as secure as the Denver Mint - only better!" he boasted, displaying a huge grin. "The bank trustees and managers were thrilled to death. But, on the other side of the coin, there were plenty of crooks who weren't too happy with the crimp we were puttin' in their money-makin' schemes; sometimes it seemed as if they were comin' outta the woodwork. We received threats on our lives on a regular basis; most of the time that's all they were, jus' threats. The ones that weren't," he shrugged, "well, we dealt with 'em.

"It was a whole different world than what we had been used to, especially when it came to our enemies. These types of men didn't play – or fight – fair. In all of our outlawin' days we'd never run into the way these criminals operated. Neither of us fully realized what we were really up against. Maybe if we had…" Curry's voice trailed off and he looked as if he might say more on the subject, but then he shrugged.

"So, that's the story of how we made our fortunes. I found this ranch while out ridin' one day an' talked Heyes into buyin' it. I had to promise him he could still go into town an' 'work', or else he never would've agreed to it. We still took the odd job every now an' then, but I noticed that we started to spend more an' more time here at the ranch. That was my plan all along, but I was smart enough to let Heyes figure it out for himself."

In addition to his Cheshire cat smile, Curry's eyes were twinkling. "It was easier that way. We'd never really had a place to call 'home' an' it took some mighty gettin' used to, especially for Heyes. Like I said, things were goin' real good for us. Heyes would go into town for poker games or he'd invite people out here for tournaments that would last for days. I kept busy with the horses an' relaxed on the tennis court when I could."

"Ah, I was wondering about that," Sam interjected. "How and when did you start playing?"

"It was a few years after we got the amnesty. We traveled to San Francisco an' paid visits to some of our old friends, Silky O'Sullivan, Soapy Saunders, an' Big Jim Santana an' his wife, Sarah. While we were at Big Jim's he showed me his court, an' from the first moment I held a racquet in my hand an' played my first game, I was hooked. It was in my blood an' it's never left."

"It's nice that you found something that means so much to you to help you fill your time, Mr. Curry."

"You might as well call me Jed," Curry corrected her with a grin. "We've spent enough time together I think we can be less formal, don't you agree?"

"I am not going to interrupt your story right now to tell you my real name, if that's what you're inferring; you'll just have to be patient and finish first," she retorted, softening her refusal by adding, "Please?"

Although Curry looked as if he wanted to push the issue, he refrained. "Alright, but you can't blame me for tryin'."

"Thank you, Jed," Sam smiled. "So, things were going well and life had settled down to being pretty peaceful around here. What happened to change it?" she prompted.

"Heyes – that's what!"

Sam gave a start at the vehemence in Jed's voice. "You mean Heyes, himself...or something that he did?"

"He took a job - without me!" Curry snapped. "An' that's alwaysturned out bad for us. Jus' like splittin' up when there was trouble - nothin' good ever happened when we did that. I did my best to try an' talk him outta it, but he wouldn't listen."

"But…I thought you said you had decided to let him take the jobs when they were offered?"

"I did, but this one, I jus' had a real bad feelin' about it right from the start. I couldn't put my finger on what, but it didn't 'feel right'. That was the main problem when I tried to convince Heyes not to take it an' again when it came time for him to go..." Curry fell silent and stared out the window. A strained silence permeated the room until he spoke again.

"I had come down with a real bad cold, bordering on pneumonia, an' was laid up in bed. I even tried to use that in my argument against him goin', but it didn't work; not this time. Heyes said he was bored an' needed somethin' to do that would keep him outta trouble."

"Jed – hold up a minute. Could you please go back a bit and tell me about when Heyes first found out about this job? I feel like I'm missing something important."

Curry leveled a long look at Sam. The expressions that flashed across his face gave testament to the silent battle that waged inside him. When he got up and began to pace the length of the room, Sam followed him with eyes full of concerned speculation until the ex-outlaw stopped to lean against a counter. He gripped the sides of it with both hands and spoke without turning around.

"Most of what I'm gonna share with you won't be found in any newspaper story you ever read about the events surroundin' Heyes' death. This is the real truth an' there's only a handful of people privy to this information; I hope I'm doin' the right thing by trustin' you with it. I need for you to know how important all this is, in order for it to make any kind of sense. This is the first time since things were finally settled that I've talked about it with anyone." He turned around. "I'd like you to put your pen down an' jus' listen – you think you can you do that?"

Never taking her eyes from his, Sam nodded and did as he requested. She could feel her the heart beating furiously against her ribcage and took a deep breath, wondering what on earth he was about to impart to her that couldn't be printed...and why? Why had anyone felt the need to hide any of the details surrounding Heyes' death?

"We got a letter from a man. He introduced himself as Mr. Anthony Part," Curry spat out the name in disgust. "The letter arrived the last day of June. Said he was the manager of a bank down in Thermopolis. He wrote that he'd been havin' problems with security issues an' needed our expertise and that we'd come highly recommended. What bothered me the most though, was that with his letter comin' as late as it did, he didn't give us enough time to do any of the background checks as thoroughly as we usually did before a job. He asked that we meet him at the train station on the afternoon of the fourth of July – we would discuss things first an' then go to work on the bank – an' the job was to be done at night, to boot!"

"That does sound a bit odd, a night job on a holiday," Sam agreed, her brow puckered in thought. "This man…Part - did he explain why the work had to be done at night and during the holiday?"

"Oh, yeah, he had a great story - real convincin' with all the right answers. His letter said it was kind of a last minute thing; that he'd understand if we decided that we couldn't take the job. Claimed it was an emergency, that he had some very important people comin' to inspect the bank. He said that they were the ones who had chosen the date since they'd already be in town for the celebration an' it would be very convenient for them to do their inspection at that time because they had to leave the next day.

"Mr. Part said he wanted us to keep the work a secret because he didn't want anyone else gettin' wind that he was doin' the security check; said he wanted everythin' perfect for his visitors. Since most of the townfolk would be at the festivities durin' the day an' the fireworks show at night, they'd never suspect a thing. We were told that we couldn't tell another single person at all for any reason. He even went so far in his 'instructions' as to forbid us to communicate with him by sending a return telegraph – he insisted that if we wanted the job we should show up and if we didn't, then he would know we had decided against it; no hard feelin's."

"And what did Heyes think about all that?"

"That's just it - he didn't see anythin' wrong with the man's strange demands – not one damn thing at all! To tell you the truth, I think all the secrecy an' mystery jus' made it all the more appealin' to Heyes; it challenged him like no other job we'd ever had. I tried my best to convince him that he didn't have to take the job. I even reminded him that he'd planned on invitin' a bunch of folks over for a party here at the ranch." Jed looked at Sam. "You know what he said?"

Even though she knew it was a rhetorical question Sam shook her head anyway.

"He told me he had already cancelled the party, that he'd contacted everyone an' told 'em that he'd make it up to 'em after we got back from this job. Then, he looked at me an' grinned an' said,

'Don't know what you're so all worked up about, Kid; you'll be right there beside me.'

"That was when I backed off. I figured I still had two days to work on him an' I was sure I'd be able to get him to see how bad of an idea it was by then."

"So now we're back to where you're laid up, sick in bed and can't go with him?"

"Yeah, but you know what? I really thought he'd stay. He looked like he was goin' to, but in the end he said he had to go; that he had committed himself to the job an' that, with or without me, he was obligated to do it. I felt like I was talkin' to a stone wall!" Jed bowed his head, drew in a deep breath, and released it slowly. "I wish now that I'd crawled outta my bed an' knocked some sense into him - made him listen to me!" He closed his eyes as he added quietly, "He might still be here if I had!"

"You did your best, Jed," Sam soothed, "Heyes was a grown man who made his own decisions. That day he chose what he wanted to do. We can wish all we want, but it won't change things. Life is full of things we wish we could have done a different way..." She took a moment to swallow the lump that had risen in her throat. "We all make choices every day; sometimes the choice turns out good, but there are times when the choice you make turns out bad."

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