Chapter 14

Pierce, Heyes, and Curry stood in the middle of the alley, surrounded by men with weapons of various kinds—all pointed directly at the men in the center.

Heyes' heart had skipped a beat when the men rushed in, and it was racing now, calmed only slightly by the steady look Kid was giving him.

A tall man with a thick mustache stepped forward. The town sheriff, returning with the posse, Heyes surmised from the badge on his chest. The deputy that they had seen that morning talking to Pierce was also in the group.

"Heyes, Curry, you two come with me," the tall man said briskly. Walters, get their guns first. Jim, you take Mr. Pierce down to the jail and lock him up. Smitty, check on that one," he indicated Jennings, who still lay on the ground, but seemed to be rousing.

Relieved of their guns, the two former outlaws followed the sheriff of Cross Creek down the alley and around the corner into a small corner restaurant. The three men settled into a table in the corner. Deputy Walters, who had accompanied them, waited by the door.

"I'm Sheriff Mahosky, and I take it you're Hannibal Heyes?"

"Yes sir," Heyes replied, his heart beginning to beat softer in his chest, he glared at his partner. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Well," Curry said with a grin, "I sort of bumped into the sheriff while I was following you and Jennings."

"Bumped? More like kidnapped," Mahosky scoffed, but a smile crept onto his hard lined face. "But I wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't heard if for myself. Once I caught the gist of what was going on, I went and rounded up the boys. Now, I believe Pierce said something about a safe deposit box key?"

"Oh, yes," Heyes reached into his boot. He saw the sheriff stiffen and watch him closely as he removed the key. "Here you go," he said laying the key on the table. "That's where Pierce said he stashed the money."

"Alright, we'll check it out." Mahosky leaned back and handed the key to Walters, who called for another man at the door.

"I might not have been so agreeable if I hadn't received a telegram from my cousin's boy out in Pine Bluffs."

Kid sat upright in his seat and leaned forward. "You're Jack's uncle!" he exclaimed. "He told me he had an uncle that was a sheriff up north."

"Well, Jack's mother was my cousin, but she was more like a sister really, because she lived with us after her parent's died. Jack always called me Uncle John."

"He said you inspired him to become a sheriff too," Kid added.

Mahosky nodded solemnly. "Yes, I'm not sure I was too happy about that one. The life of a lawman can be a lonely one."

"Sheriff, if we're not under arrest then, can we have our guns back?" Heyes asked with a friendly smile.

"Well now, technically you're in my custody until I get your full statements and clear you of the accusations that have been made against you. There are quite a few witnesses stating that you robbed a train last month outside of Deer Canyon."

"Uh, yeah, well, that was to convince the gang we'd gone back to outlawing," Kid said uneasily.

"Jennings said he'd clear it with the railroad. Nobody was hurt. I suppose he never did that though," Heyes frowned.

"No, but when the full story comes out and the railroad realizes that you're responsible for apprehending the gang that had been terrorizing their trains, I'm sure they won't press charges."

Kid shifted uncomfortably on his chair and rubbed his right arm.

"You're hurt," Mahosky noted, looking at the blood on Kid's sleeve.

"Oh, it's just a scratch, a bullet almost got me yesterday," he said dismissively, but the others noticed he was holding his arm stiffly.

"You should see our town doc. With Pierce locked up and Jennings out of the way, things should be pretty quiet."

"Jennings was Pirece's son, did you know that?" Heyes asked.

"Yes, I heard that part of the conversation." I should have sent my men in sooner, but Curry made me promise to wait until he got Pierce to put his gun away."

"I didn't want to risk a shootout," Kid added quietly, "There's been all together too much killing lately."

The sheriff nodded. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. The last member of the gang was found down in Coldwater. It seems he had a bullet in his leg and tried to see a doctor. The doc guessed he might have been one of the hold-up men so he tried to send for help and there was some shooting."

"What happened?" Kid asked quickly.

"The robber's dead. Do you know who it was?"

"Name was Jackson, I don't know his first name," Heyes said, his face turning serious. That meant Cooper was the last.

"They're all dead then," Curry told the sheriff, not looking at his partner. "All of the men that took part in the robberies were either killed by Kinsey up at the Hole, or were shot after the last robbery."

"Kinsey? Tom Kinsey?" Mahosky whistled. "I've heard of him."

"He was the gunman for the gang. He's the one that killed the passengers on the trains they stopped."

"What happened to him?" the sheriff asked.

"I shot him," Kid said simply.

"Self defense," Heyes added quickly.

Mahosky gave Heyes a skeptical look, but nodded. "I see."

"Hey Sheriff! We got it. It was there just like he said," an excited man cried out, rushing into the room.

Mahosky smiled. "Good, having the money to return to the railroad will help convince them that you two were really out to stop the gang and not in it for yourselves. Walters will take you to see the doc about that arm," he added, giving Curry a concerned look. "Then come on over to the Longhorn and I'll buy you two a big steak dinner. We can get your stories written down tomorrow."

Heyes and Kid both gave a relieved sigh, and then stood to leave with the deputy.

As they approached the door, loud shouting could be heard from down the street, and then a single gunshot rang out.

Sheriff Mahosky and Deputy Walters drew their guns and all four men raced into the street. "What happened," the sheriff yelled, as several stunned men walked towards them.

"It happened so fast," one of them mumbled.

"What?" the sheriff demanded.

"Pierce, he made a break for it. He had a knife in his boot and managed to cut Harold while he was taking him in the cell. He ran into the street and old Will the blacksmith shot him dead. Shot him in the back."

Both Heyes and Curry were stunned.

Mahosky sighed and looked at the ground. "Will had a brother who was on the train down in Utah. One of the victims," he added.

"What will happen to him?" Heyes asked, sadly.

"Hard to say, he could be charged with murder," The sheriff said, sadly.

"Doesn't seem right," Walters muttered.

Without any further talking, Deputy Walters escorted both men to the doctor's office where Kid's arm was cleaned and wrapped with new bandages. The bullet had only grazed the arm, and the doctor told him that although it would cause some discomfort, it should heal up without any further complications.

It was late that night when the two men were finally alone in their hotel room. Although the official statements would follow, Mahosky had insisted on hearing stories from Heyes over dinner. A guard had been posted at the hotel, but Mahosky assured them that it was more for their protection than to guard them. There was still a great deal of confusion and many rumors in the town as to who had actually been behind the train robberies. Two telegrams had been sent to Pine Bluffs—one to Mrs. Hannibal Heyes and one to Sheriff Jack Caldwell.

"Heyes?" Kid asked, as they were getting ready for bed.

"When did you switch those letters?"

"Oh that. I was bluffing."

Kid's jaw dropped as he stared back. "Heyes, you never cease to amaze me."

"Good, let's keep it that way," he grinned and reached to clap his partner on the shoulder, but drew his arm back suddenly as he almost hit Kid's injured arm again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Kid shook his head in a long suffering say. "Heyes, I swear, someday…"

"Kid?" Heyes interrupted.

"Yeah?" came the tired response.

"Why did you tell the sheriff that all of the gang was dead?" The question hung in the air for a few moments before Curry sighed.

"I didn't think he deserved to hang."

"Don't you think that's for the law to decide?"

"So he can get shot in the back like Pierce?"

Heyes swallowed hard and looked at his friend. "What happens when Cooper shows up alive somewhere and the law starts asking questions? What happens when they ask us about aiding and abetting a wanted man?"

"Well, first of all, the law doesn't have a description of him and second, he's not going to be robbing any more trains."

"How can you say that?"

"I had a little talk with him while we were covering up Ridley's body. I told him my biggest regret in life was that I hadn't given up outlawing sooner and raised a family—that if I'd done that, I probably wouldn't be where I was now. I said he should go away and change his name, get a decent job and never think about joining up with a gang or robbing anyone again."

"And?"

"And he agreed."

Kid turned toward his partner with a sly smile. "Then, I told him that if things were different, and I was back at my ranch, I'd even hire him if he could stay out of trouble for a year or so."

Heyes stared at his partner. "Kid, he participated in two of those robberies. He was there when Eliza and Joseph were killed, when Catherine—" Heyes stopped in mid sentence as though a revelation had just come to him. "That's it—he's responsible for Catherine being alive. Somehow, he hid her or let her escape, is that it?

Curry's grin broadened. "Heyes, you continue to amaze me," was all he said as he climbed into bed.