Disclaimer: Alias Smith and Jones does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
References to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.
A/N – story presumes the details on the wanted posters are not entirely accurate. Story exists in the same No Amnesty - Smith and Jones story verse as previous stories.
Jolt
Chapter 3: Shock
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Almost there," encouraged Heyes.
No one answered. Heyes stopped walking and turned to look over his shoulder. He gave a sigh of exasperation. A steady stream of people trudged along California Street. Clem smiled at him as she neared. The children lagged further behind. Heyes dropped his bag with a thump. He set Clem's carpet bag on top of his own and then crossed his arms over his chest while he waited for his family to catch up.
"You were supposed to be right behind me," Heyes muttered when Clem reached him.
"I slowed down to admire the view."
"View?"
His wife flashed a saucy smirk and Heyes found himself blushing.
"It wouldn't hurt if you slowed down too," added Clem in a practical tone of voice. "You've got longer legs than the children and I do."
The tiny woman waited with him on the cracked pavement. A wrought iron fence surrounded the imposing mansion beside them. Buckled metal sagged in a few places, but otherwise the huge building seemed unscathed. A shiny black roadster weaved slowly in and out of pedestrians thronging the wide thoroughfare. Arthur and Jennifer reached them. Their son dropped his carpet bag next to his parent's bags and stretched his arms out. Flexing his fingers, the inquisitive boy looked around and gave a low whistle.
"Look at those lions," exclaimed the twelve year old.
Arthur tilted his head back to get a better look. Heyes turned as well. Crouching stone creatures flanked the imposing doors of the mansion. Even at this distance, Heyes could make out the regal head and closed mouth.
"Impressive," agreed Heyes with a wide smile. "You wouldn't want something like one of those critters jumping on you."
Behind him, Heyes heard Jennifer give a small squeal of alarm. He spun around on his heels and dropped to his knees. Nimble fingers grasped the phonograph record that tumbled from Jennifer's open carpet bag. The girl gave a sigh of relief as he held the recording of Carmen up to her.
"You're trying to carry too much Jennifer, you're dropping things," chided Heyes.
"No, I'm not," insisted the girl. Jennifer pointed at a big man moving up the street. "He knocked into me."
Heyes caught a glimpse of the figure as the man reached the corner. He wore a dark hat and clutched his right arm tight against his chest. It looked like the same man Heyes saw watching them at the fountain. But before Heyes could tell for sure, Clem stepped forward. Her voluminous blue skirt blocked his view. The fashionable woman gave a little squawk of surprise when Heyes placed his hands on her hips to press her skirt against her body. Heyes peered around her, but his view of the man disappeared between the sweeping skirts of two other woman.
"What do you think you're doing?" huffed Clem. "Come on now, get up."
The petite woman stepped closer to Jennifer, leaving Heyes to rub his aching knees. He made his way upright and scanned the crowd, but the man was gone.
"Oh Jennifer," sighed Clem. "Everybody's in a rush. I'm sure that man didn't mean to bump you. Let's get your clothing moved around and see we can get the bag to close."
While Clem redistributed the contents of Jennifer's bag, the gleaming black automobile pulled passed them and parked in front of mansion's ornate entrance. At the top of the marble steps, the wide doors opened. A man dressed in a neat black suit escorted an elderly woman down the steep stairs.
"Wish we could ride in that," murmured Arthur. "I'm sure it's a Jarvis!"
Heyes rolled his eyes. Automobiles fascinated the boy. Arthur often spent time at Kid's workshop tinkering with the machinery. Heyes thought the flimsy contraptions were fast, but he'd rather have a good horse. Hooves could take a person places that an auto could never go.
"I don't think they're gonna have room for us," chuckled Heyes.
A gesture of his hand turned his son's gaze back to the mansion. A trio of younger women come out of the house. They followed the older woman to the car. One woman wore a full white apron over her dress, identifying her as a cook. The other two wore smaller aprons and one carried a covered birdcage. Heyes smiled as he watched the woman and her staff all clamber into the roadster together.
"If we're lucky, Silky will give us a ride to the train station in his Tonneau," added Heyes in a hopeful tone.
Cable cars weren't working. They had passed twisted tangles of metal that once were tracks. For all Heyes knew the trains weren't working either, but he had to believe that they wouldn't need to walk back to Wyoming. Heyes' sharp ears heard the latch on Jennifer's carpet bag snap shut as the automobile slowly pulled away.
"There, all set," declared Clem with a sound of satisfaction. Heyes found Jennifer's rag doll thrust into his hands. "Joshua, if you'll just carry this, we can get moving again."
"Huh?"
"Promise you won't lose her," beseeched Jennifer, her blue eyes wide.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather carry Emily Anne yourself?" asked Heyes in a gentle voice.
Many girls Jennifer's age put aside their childhood toys, but Jennifer still treasured her beloved rag doll. Her mother made the doll with yellow yarn hair, blue button eyes and a gingham dress. In Heyes mind, Emily Anne looked like Jennifer at three.
"No, I've gotta carry the record. It's a present for Mama, and Clem packed clothes all around to pad it," explained Jennifer. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course I don't mind. I'll take good care of Emily Anne for you," promised Heyes.
Heyes tucked the doll inside his coat, securing it against his chest beneath his left suspender. Emily Anne's feet wound up in the same pocket as the derringer. Raising his hand, lithe man pointed.
"We turn at the corner," began Heyes. "Head up Taylor Street and then turn onto Pleasant…"
"We know," interrupted Arthur with a grin. "We've been to Silky's home before."
Arthur hoisted his carpet bag up. The boy and Jennifer exchanged a glance. Wordlessly, they turned together and started towards the corner at a brisk pace. Clem pressed a small hand against Heyes' sleeve and smiled fondly.
"He's got your sense of direction."
"Yeah," nodded Heyes. "And it looks like the children have got their second wind. We better hurry up and keep them in sight or they're liable to go back home without us."
"Don't be silly," admonished Clem, but she marched forward.
Heyes picked up their carpetbags and hurried to catch up with his wife. They turned onto the narrower Taylor Street. There weren't as many people on this street, but families loading carts made it hard to get around. Heyes and Clem pressed their way forward, but they couldn't catch up to the two children.
"Arthur, Jennifer, wait up!" called Heyes as the children reached Pleasant Street.
"I can't see them," fretted Clem. The tiny woman stood on tiptoe, craning her neck. "Can you see them?"
Before Heyes could answer, the world shook. For the second time that morning, Heyes found himself flat on his back. Panicked screams filled the air. The aftershock quit just as abruptly as it started. Heyes scrambled to his hands and knees and found himself nose to nose with Clem.
"The children!" both said.
Rising, Heyes pushed his way around the last cart. His wife hurried after him. Heyes heard another shrill scream that seemed to stand out from all the other noise around him.
"Let go!" screeched Jennifer.
Heyes' raced around the corner only to come to a complete halt. A deep crevasse gouged the near vacant street before him. A moment later Clem smacked into him from behind. They clutched at each other, tottering on the edge of the fissure. On the opposite side of the cracked earth, a big man tugged on Jennifer's carpetbag. The blonde wouldn't let go. A dark hat obscured the man's face. A few feet beyond Jennifer, a dazed Arthur clawed his way upright. A small trickle of blood ran down his forehead. The boy staggered to his best friend's aid.
"Leave her alone!" shouted Arthur.
The man's left hand remained firmly on Jennifer's carpetbag. The man shoved Arthur backwards with his right arm. The boy flailed for balance. Jennifer howled. Heyes fumbled for the derringer, but Emily Anne blocked his grasping fingers. Clem picked up a rock and threw it. Shouts echoed. "Leave the kid alone! What do you think you're doing?" The man's opportunity to steal the carpet bag vanished as someone approached from a nearby yard. The man shoved the bag at Jennifer, pushing her into Arthur. The two children fell backwards landing hard on the pavement. Running towards Taylor Street, the man jumped the crevasse and came face to face with Hannibal Heyes.
"I'll bet you don't even remember me," sneered the man, his lips curled up in contempt.
Dark brown eyes narrowed first in recognition, then in rage. Joe Briggs was a bully. Few men ever dared push his partner so far. Heyes remembered the calm, fatalistic tone of Kid's voice at his final confrontation with the disagreeable man. The chill tone, as much as the words, still made the hairs on the back of Heyes' neck prickle. "I might even kill you."
"Twenty-five years ago you terrorized defenseless farmers trying to vote," Heyes' lips pressed tight in a mirthless smile. "Now you're picking on little girls?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"New York?"
Kid forced himself to keep his tone carefully neutral and maybe just a touch puzzled. Students and other teachers bustled about the busy corridor. Morning classes were due to start soon. The patient man pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against and stood up straight to face his daughter and her professor.
"I thought we were in Laramie because you wanted to go to the university here?"
Eliza's bright blue eyes were level with his own. Kid could tell Eliza was trying very hard to stand still, but she kept shifting from one foot to another. A decorous young lady of sixteen almost seventeen probably shouldn't jump up and down in excitement in the middle of a university hallway. The tall blonde young woman clenched a paper tightly in her hand. Eliza grinned and waved the paper in front of his face. The professor stepped through the door to stand beside Eliza.
"Papa…"
"I hope you don't mind," interrupted Professor Baggins. "I took the liberty of sending Eliza's test results to the college along with a recommendation letter."
Professor Baggins, a short plump woman wearing a pleated white linen shirtwaist and a flounced brown circular skirt, beamed. Through the open office door, Kid could see the instructor's office. Cluttered with papers, folders, and a heavy brown envelope with several stamps upon it, Kid could barely see the desk. A double breasted jacket in the same brown fabric as the woman's skirt hung from the back of her chair. Heavily laden bookshelves lined the wall behind her desk.
"That's why she wanted to see me in person," grinned Eliza.
"Eliza has been accepted to the Women's Medical College for the fall semester," nodded the older woman. "She'll receive full credit for the correspondence courses she's already completed, making her a sophomore on admission."
Kid clenched his jaw in a semblance of a smile. Eliza graduated from the little school in Thunder Ridge last spring. His daughter should have started at the school in Laramie the previous September, instead of taking courses by mail. However, with everything that happened last year Eliza stayed home to help out.
"The fall semester?" echoed Kid.
"Classes start the first week of September actually," clarified Baggins. "There will be dormitory fees, but all tuition expenses are covered by the scholarship. Dormitories open before school begins, so Eliza will need to be in New York by the end of August at the latest."
A loud bell clanged. One by one students disappeared into rooms, doors thumped shut, the corridor cleared. Kid, Eliza and Professor Baggins stood for a moment outside her office.
"You'll have to excuse me. I've got a class to teach," murmured Professor Baggins with a soft smile. "Congratulations again Eliza."
Kid's blue eyes blinked as he stared after the woman who just changed their lives.
"Papa?"
The uncertain voice of his oldest daughter shocked Kid from his daze. The tall blond turned to face Eliza. His daughter's teeth were pressed against her bottom lip in a hesitant manner.
"I know we never talked about me going so far away for school, but…," began Eliza.
"I'm real happy for you Eliza," interrupted Kid with a broad smile. He stepped close and drew her into a warm hug. His blue eyes blinked again, but she couldn't see. The quiet man spoke, his soft voice muffled by her curls. "Your mother will be real pleased too."
Turning away, Kid steered his daughter down the hallway. Stepping outside into the bright April morning, Kid rubbed a hand across his face. When he lowered his hand, he caught Eliza staring at him again.
"Are you sure you're happy? Really happy?"
"Of course I'm happy!" insisted Kid. "The light bothered my eyes."
He ran a finger along the inside edge of his stiff white collar and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Wishing for his familiar brown hat, he lifted the citified headgear that went with his formal gray suit and settled it upon his curls.
"Let's head back towards the train station," Kid urged. "I'll be even happier when we get back home and I can get outta this suit."
A short while later Kid and Eliza entered the depot restaurant. Dishes smashed to the floor somewhere in the background as they made their way across the crowded room. Eliza sank down into the chair across from Wheat. Kid pulled out a chair and sat down next to his daughter. On the other side of the table, Wheat's ashen face stared at the paper in his hands. Martha clutched her husband's arm and Kyle leaned against his partner's other side. Concerned, Kid hedged his question, not wanting to embarrass his old friend.
"What did that fancy doctor have to say about your heart?"
Wheat dropped the paper on the table. His face flushed with irritation.
"That fella had the gall to tell me not to go rounding up horses anymore!" spluttered Wheat. "The only thing special about him is his prices!"
The oldest member of the former Devil's Hole gang reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of tiny pills.
"Told me to take one of these little ole Trintrin things if I had any more pain," groused Wheat. "Same medicine Doc Abernathy prescribed!"
"Good," sighed Kid. The lean, muscular man relaxed back against the cushioned chair and reached for the menu. "You looked so pale, for a minute I thought something was wrong."
Across from him, three faces looked at him in concern. A babble of voices tried to explain.
"The news…"
"...earthquake..."
"California…"
"An earthquake in California?" echoed Kid.
The menu slipped from his fingers. Kid hoped he'd heard wrong. Wheat gulped. Kyle blinked, while Martha nodded in confirmation.
"Real big 'un," added Wheat.
For a moment there was silence as the close knit group from Thunder Ridge stared at each other. Kid sucked in a deep breath, but before he could ask the question his daughter spoke up.
"Where in California?" whispered Eliza.
"San Francisco," blurted out Kyle.
"Not just San Francisco," objected Martha. "The whole state…"
Again Wheat, Martha and Kyle all tried to talk at once. Kid reached across the table and plucked the newspaper from beneath Wheat's hand. Turning the special edition to face him, Kid began reading. The news wasn't good. Western Union Telegraph Company had an agent perched on a pole in Oakland providing a first-hand account. Earthquake. People killed. Buildings collapsed. Fire. Kid closed his eyes at the memory of fires in that crowded town where ramshackle buildings were built leaning against each other for support. The news of Eliza going to college in New York was just a little tremor in his world, this was something of a totally different magnitude. Heyes, Clem, Arthur and his little Jennifer were all in danger. Blue eyes looked up from the paper to see the railway timetable on the wall. The next departure that connected with a westbound train showed as on time. That gave him just enough time to see Eliza off on the northbound train.
"The hotel they're staying at is built strong, I'm sure they're fine," Kid tried to sound confident for Eliza's benefit. "But I'm gonna go to San Francisco."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
