The 8:10 to Tucson and points east wasn't even halfway full. Heyes and Curry, wearing new suits and carrying bulging carpetbags, easily found seats facing each other, where each man could watch the doorways and see who came and went. At the opposite end of the car, they watched a large, noisy family enter, filling several seats with children and overhead racks with luggage. That was just fine with Heyes and Curry. Those kids made such a racket, the two men could talk without any danger of being overheard.
"This is either the worst idea you've ever had, Joshua, or it's the best. I'm not sure which."
Heyes glanced at his partner. Curry wore his impassive poker face. "You're still willing to go along with it, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Something in Curry's voice made Heyes look at him closer. "You're definitely right about one thing. Giving up was the only thing we could do, if we wanted to have any sort of a life."
"Losing everything can be a gift, Thaddeus. There's nothing holding you back from embracing your future."
"Now who's the philosopher?" Curry asked. Heyes smiled. He was feeling good.
"The only thing I feel bad about is Lom," Curry said. "Not telling him anything, just disappearing, after all he tried to do for us."
"Yeah," Heyes agreed. "But we got to do it. He's an honest man, old Lom is. You know he'd go straight to the governor and tell him we were giving up on the amnesty. Next thing, he'd be leading the biggest posse you ever seen and he'd hunt us down. We got to disappear before he knows we're gone."
"I know," Curry said. "But still . . . "
"I know. Still." The thought of leaving their old friend in the dark was his only regret. Heyes wished it could be different, but if they were leaving amnesty behind, they had to leave Lom behind, too. It was the only way.
"There's one thing I don't mind leaving behind with Lom," Curry said.
"What?" Heyes asked, curious. He had no idea what Curry was talking about.
"Smith and Jones."
"Me neither! Lom's a good man, but he's short on imagination. We'll come up with something better."
Curry pointed out the window. "There." Heyes looked in that direction. Louise Carson was boarding the train. Something, some instinct, made her turn towards Heyes. He was clearly visible from where she stood, but she showed no reaction; she just boarded the train calmly and went into the next car. Too many people in Yuma knew her. Being seen together now could be dangerous. Heyes was pleased. She had natural talent. He knew he could teach her how to work a con in no time.
"I wasn't really talking about you and me, Joshua," Curry said.
"I know."
"Is it a good idea to bring her into this? This kind of life, I mean."
"She wants to. It's her decision after all, Thaddeus. She could have said no, and we'd still be doing what we're doing."
"Uh huh."
"If it weren't for the information she gave us, we wouldn't be sitting here in these fine clothes, with money in our pockets."
"I do appreciate that, Joshua. I got no objection to a little safe-cracking, especially when it's from somebody who can spare it. I just hope she's going to be okay with this kind of life. She didn't get brought up in it like we did."
Heyes heard criticism in Curry's voice and got a little defensive. "I thought we already discussed this. She wants this. She's tired of being poor and honest, just like we are. We'll teach her the business, and we'll all make some serious money along the way, like we used to. Only we won't throw it away like we did before."
Curry held up both hands. "Alright, alright. It'll just take some adjusting, working with a new partner. Especially one who's your long-lost sister."
"She can't be yours, not with your coloring. It'll be great, Thaddeus. I got a real good feeling about this."
Heyes was smiling. He looked confident and happy, Curry thought, just like he used to be, before they'd wasted the last few years chasing the dream of amnesty. They were finished with that, finally. It was good to see Heyes excited about the future. Truth be told, Curry was feeling pretty excited, too.
"So Florida's a peninsula, is that right?" Heyes nodded.
"Yeah. That means it's surrounded by water."
"That's great," Curry said. "That means the seafood will be really good."
Heyes laughed. His partner was acting like his old self again.
"Yeah," Heyes said. "A chance to do the kind of work we do best, without anyone like Lom watching over our shoulders. A warm climate, rich idiots, lots of good seafood, and a prettier partner than you. Things are looking up."
Both men grinned happily at each other. It had been a long time since they looked forward to the future.