Hannibal Heyes could never be considered a man of means. Well, at least not since he retired from being an outlaw and began a quest with his partner, Kid Curry to earn an amnesty from the State of Wyoming. But Heyes had other, nearly as admirable qualities. He had a certain, devious sort of charm that intrigued many ladies of stature in a 'bad boy' sort of way. He possessed a clever and very quizzical mind that was always...always working in overdrive. He had incredibly sultry eyes that could evaporate any woman's, as well as most men's defenses. He had several other qualities as well but most of those required really knowing him to appreciate and understand.
It was an early November morning and Heyes and Curry were sitting in a Denver cafe, the former reading the Denver Sun Times, the latter devouring the Rocky Mountain Breakfast Special.
Listen to this, Kid," Heyes said, folding the newspaper into quarters to focus on the small article in the Business Section.
Kid slurped some coffee and looked up from his plate. "Lithen to what?" he asked chomping on a mouthful of steak and eggs.
"The Cary Safe and Security Corporation has announced the development of a touch sensitive safe that allows entry solely by those individuals deemed accessible. This is accomplished by three silent tumbler combinations that must be accessed before the master tumbler mechanism will operate. The combinations of the silent tumblers can be reset on a predetermined schedule determined by the owner... Wow."
"Guess we'd be out of the business no matter what now, uh?"
"There's more," Heyes said. "Currently only small home models are available, but the Cary Safe and Security Corp has plans to develop larger such safes that could be used in banks and other Federal Departments and business in the near future."
Kid soaked the last bite of biscuit in the scant egg yolk remaining on his plate and popped it into his mouth, while giving Heyes a quick glance. The gleam he saw in his partner's eye caused him pause.
"Heyes, what are you thinking? You're wanting to see if you can crack one of them safes, aren't you."
Heyes gave Kid a reassuring smile and shook his head. "Naw... well...Yeah," he confessed.
"Well you can't, Heyes. First of all, you don't even know where you could find one of those safes. Second off, you've said yourself you can't open a silent tumbler safe. Third of all, we ain't risking amnesty just for your amusement."
"I know. You're right, Kid," Heyes said, dropping the newspaper on the table. "But I can't help it, I miss the challenge."
"You should just get a job with that company as a safe tester. That way you could get the satisfaction of conquering the safe without jeopardizing your, rather our, amnesty."
Heyes smiled. "God, I wish there was such a job, Kid."
Kid gulped the last of his coffee. "You ready to go?"
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"You know, Kid, the Cary Company is located somewhere here in Denver..." Heyes said as they walked leisurely down the street
"Don't even think about it, Heyes," Kid said, cutting him off. "We're not risking the amnesty."
But Heyes was thinking about it. He couldn't help himself. "Let's stop at the Library."
"What for?"
"Research."
"You and your damn books, Heyes," Kid grumbled.
Heyes ducked into the nearest store to inquire as to the location of the library and fifteen minutes later they were standing outside the large, stone Carnegie building. Kid looked up and down the street and finally spied a saloon about a block away. "I'll be waiting for you over there," he said, pointing out the saloon to his partner.
"Alright, but I might be a little while."
"As long as I got money for a beer, you take as much time as you want."
Heyes frowned. "You realize it's not even noon, don't you?"
"Beats sitting in a room filled with old books," Kid replied and walked away.
Heyes spent a little over two hours pouring over books and encyclopedias, learning everything he could about the Cary Safe Company. He and the Devil's Hole gang had never come across a Cary Safe, so he was curious as to how they compared with the Pierce and Hamilton safes about which he had a very sound working knowledge. He learned the President of the Cary Safe company was a man by the name of Horace D. Cary and the Chief Security Development man was a man named Sherman Cary. The company's base was located in Chicago, but they had expanded to Denver in an effort to compete with Pierce and Hamilton. And they were located just a few blocks from the library.
Kid was at the bar nursing his third beer when Heyes arrived and joined him and ordered a beer.
"Might as well do your talking now before the alcohol wears off, Heyes, cause I'm not going to be agreeing with you when I'm sober."
"You're not drunk" Heyes replied while giving his partner the once-over.
"No, but I ain't sober either," Kid replied. "What took you so long?"
"Just found a lot of interesting things to read," Heyes explained, picking up his beer and giving Kid a nudge to his arm. "Come on, let's sit at a table."
Kid followed Heyes to a table and slid into a chair. "Okay, what's your plan? I can tell you right now I ain't going to like it, but your feel free to jabber away telling me about it."
"There's no plan, Kid. At least not yet. But this company is really interesting. The home base is in Chicago, but they opened a side company here in Denver to compete with Pierce and Hamilton. It's strictly a family owned company. They've got it broken down into parts. There's a design department, a security department, a sales department, a production department, you name it and they have it."
"But why is it so important that you prove you can open one of them safes? You ain't never going to rob one... are you?"
"Of course not, and right now, it ain't important to me to open one, not yet anyway."
"Then what do you want?"
Heyes smiled with the look of a dreamer, a visionary."I want to run the company one day, or at least the security part of the company."
Kid sat back in his chair and let both hands rest on the arms of the chair. "Ain't you being a bit premature, Heyes?"
"I don't think so. In fact, I think I'll pay that company a visit in a day or two."
"After you got a plan?"
"After I gain some direction. Then I decide if a plan is in order."
"Well, like I said, Heyes, you ain't gonna talk me into supporting this idea. And the longer we stay in Denver, the more likely we are to run into the sheriff."
"Denver's a big city. We can manage to avoid the sheriff for a while."
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Two days later, dressed in his brown suit with the newspaper tucked neatly under his arm, Heyes walked into the offices of the Cory Safe Company. He tipped his hat as he approached the secretary's desk and flashed the most charming smile in her direction.
"May I help You?" she asked.
"I certainly hope so, Ma'am. My name is Joshua Smith, president of Smith and Jones Investments," he said as he pulled the newspaper from under his arm and laid it on her desk. "I read this article about a new safe your company is developing and it certainly piqued my curiosity. Who might I be able to speak to about this safe?"
"Mr. Hanson is in charge of Denver based sales. I can see if he is available to speak with you."
"Oh, no, Ma'am. I'm afraid I haven't made myself clear. I'm not interested in buying one of these safes. I'm interested in opening one of these safes."
"Opening one of the safes?"
"Yes Ma'am. I think perhaps the person I should be speaking to is the the man in charge of security."
"That would be Mr. Whitman. I'll go get him for you."
"Thank you. I would be most appreciative.
Heyes looked at the walls of the office and saw six framed lithographs of each of the safes the Cory Company currently produced. He scrutinized each lithograph, impressed with the fine detail, and was convinced all could be easily cracked by his nimble fingers and keen hearing.
"Mr. Smith," Whitman announced as he walked into the room and extended his hand. "Anne here tells me you are quite intrigued with out latest model of safes."
"Heyes smiled and shook Whitman's hand. "I certainly am, Mr. Whitman. I'd like to learn more about this magnificent invention."
"What business did you say you were in, Mr. Smith?"
"Investments. My partner, Thaddeus Jones and I own the Smith and Jones Investment Firm of San Francisco. Perhaps you've heard of our company?"
"I'm fairly new to the west, Mr. Smith. I must admit I have not heard of your company."
"Oh, not to worry. I'm sure if we are able to do business together, you will become very familiar with us."
"I'm sure I will, Mr. Smith. Shall we go back to my office then?" Whitman said, extending his arm to indicate they move down a narrow hall. "I hope you don't mind but Mr. Cory's daughter will be joining us. She's here on business."
"Which Mr. Cory are you referring to, Mt. Whitman?"
"Why Horace, of course. His daughter, Abigail is here on Horace Cory's behalf to ensure everything is being set up according to Mr. Cory's guidelines."
"A business woman. That's still a bit unusual here in the west."
"In the east as well, but she is Mr. Cory's only child. The business will be going to her one day and Mr. Cory wants to be sure she has a full understanding of the operations. Ah, here we are," Whitman said and extended his arm to usher Heyes into the office.
Seeing a rather beautiful woman sitting on the settee in the office, Heyes immediately removed his hat and smiled pleasantly.
"Abigail Cory, may I present, ah..."
"Joshua, Ma'am. Joshua Smith," Heyes said, giving his head a slight bow.
"Mr. Smith has shown some interest in the newest Cory Safe," Whitman explained.
"You'd like to purchase one of our safes, Mr. Smith?" she asked.
"Oh, no, Ma'am. I'm interested in cracking one of your safes."
She looked at him quite quizzically. "Why would you be interested in that, Mr. Smith?"
"Well, Ma'am, My partner and I are in the investment business. We cater to some very wealthy individuals. While the vast majority of their profit earnings are very well secured in banks, most like to keep at least some of their assets in other locations, their homes for example. My partner and I pride ourselves in having a very intricate understanding of all home security options. When I saw the recent article about your new safe Ma'am, well I just had to begin my research."
She listened intently to Heyes' oration. "How intriguing, Mr. Smith."
"Well, naturally, Ma'am, I have developed the finely tuned skill of opening safes without knowing the combinations. The more difficult the safe, the more likely Mr. Jones and I are to recommending the safe to our customers."
"Do you receive a commission for your recommendations, Mr. Smith?"
"Oh no, Ma'am. Doing that might lead to some of the less reputable safe companies trying to...persuade Mr. Jones and me into recommendations that might not be, well... in our client's best interests you might say."
"Well, I can assure you, Mr. Smith, that the newest Cory safe cannot be... what was the word you used?' Whitman asked.
"Cracked," Abigail replied.
"Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your business, Mr. Smith?" Abigail asked.
"Well, I'd love to do just that Miss Cory. Perhaps we could continue our conversation over dinner tonight. Say... seven?"
"Perhaps we should, Mr. Smith"
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"You're what?" Kid asked when Heyes returned to the hotel
"Taking the daughter of the Cory Safe Company President to dinner tonight, Kid."
"You think you're going to schmooze her into letting you take a crack at that safe, don't you?"
"I think I have already convinced her to let me do that, Kid."
"Then why are you taking her to dinner?"
"Why do you take a lady to dinner?"
"So what's she like?" Kid asked.
Heyes smiled. "She very pretty. She's obviously very intelligent. She has a business mind. She's..."
"So she's only got one of the qualities I look for in a woman I want to take to dinner?"
Heyes smiled. "Yep."
"Sounds pretty shallow to me, Heyes."
Abigail and Heyes shared an elegant dinner at the Brown Palace. After the meal they had a glass of after-dinner wine and chatted about a wide variety of subjects including literature, music, and business. At the end of the evening, Heyes summoned a carriage and saw Abigail back to her hotel room.
"I understand the Denver Opera House is one of the country's finest, comparable to those in New York," Heyes said. "Would you like to attend an Opera with me there tomorrow evening?"
Abigail smiled. "Do you know much about opera, Mr. Smith?"
Heyes smiled and uttered a simple laugh. "Well, I'm afraid I must confess that I know very little about opera. You just strike me as a woman of culture, someone who would enjoy the opera."
"Oh, I do indeed enjoy opera. I'd love to go with you tomorrow evening."
Heyes smiled as he took the room key from Abigail's hand. He unlocked and opened the door for her before returning her key to her hand. "Until tomorrow, then," he said.
She smiled warmly at him. "Good night, Mr. Smith."
"Please, call me Joshua...Abigail."
She nodded. "Good night, Joshua."
Heyes walked back to his hotel with a bit of a bounce in his step. He was smitten, intrigued, and infatuated, feelings he'd never felt all packaged into one before.
They spent the next evening at the Opera. The evening after that was the theater. The fourth date was a quiet, secluded, candle lit dinner at the country club her father had joined for business reasons. The following afternoon, Heyes rented a carriage and they traveled to a beautiful spot in the mountains and ate from a picnic basket Heyes had ordered and had specially packed with fine delicacies. Later hey sat leisurely on the blanket, eating strawberries and drinking wine.
"Do you have to go back to Chicago?" Heyes asked as they stood outside her hotel room.
"I do, Joshua, but I'm sure I'll be making trips here to Denver often."
"May I see you off at the train station tomorrow?"
"Come by the office in the morning. My train doesn't leave until four in the afternoon. You can try your hand at cracking that safe."
Heyes laughed. "I'll do that." He leaned in toward her and they shared a lingering, tender kiss. When he pulled back, he felt a tug at his heart.
Heyes had definitely fallen in love.
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They next day, Heyes spent the day working his nimble fingers against the tumblers of the safe, but by mid afternoon, he had not succeeded in cracking the safe. Abigail had sat watching him for the last hour before her departure. She envisioned a future with him. He might one day even become a partner in the business. Unbeknownst to her, Heyes shared those same thoughts.
"How will I know when you're in Denver again," Heyes asked as they waited for the train to begin loading passengers.
"I'll write," she offered.
"I'm afraid I travel frequently. I don't see my mail very often."
"You can contact Mr. Whitman periodically. He can keep you abreast of my travel schedule."
Heyes nodded, knowing he couldn't follow through.
"I think I'm in love with you... No, I know I'm in love with you," he told her
She smiled and touched his cheek. She looked deep into his eyes. "This is good bye, isn't it? I won't be seeing you again, will I?"
The sadness in Heyes' eyes overwhelmed her.
The conductor announced the boarding of passengers.
She leaned in and kissed him.
"It's not true at all," she said.
"What's not true?"
She sighed sadly. "It's not better to have loved and lost."
With that, Abigail picked up her bag, turned and boarded the train.
Heyes stood watching until the train was out of sight.
"You alright?" came the sound of a familiar voice a few feet in the distance.
"No," Heyes whispered... "But I will be."