HOW TO ROB A BANK IN ONE HARD LESSON

(This one is a tightly written story. The only question I see is just who is Lorraine and what is her relationship with or to Janet Judson or or perhaps even Harry).

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Having secured the prisoners safely in two cells Deputy Lee Harper shook the hands of the two departing outlaws, never believing for an instant that the two men were Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes as Harry Wagoner had claimed. But, Deputy Harper knew nothing more about his three prisoners than their names, and that they had robbed the First National Bank.

So, the first thing Deputy Harper did was sort though the extensive pile of wanted posters, a process that took him several hours. He did pause over the posters of Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, but decided the descriptions on the posters were far too vague (and he was far too tired), to give those posters any real consideration.

Near the bottom of the third pile of posters, Deputy Harper came across the poster of Harry Wagoner. Wanted for bank robbery, the poster described Harry as being six feet tall, one hundred and seventy pounds, blonde hair with a smattering of gray, light brown mustache, and a small scar on the underside of his chin. Harper made a mental note to check for the scar later.

In all the wanted posters in the Sheriff's collection, only three were of women, and none of those three bore any descriptive resemblance to the two women housed in one of the two occupied cells.

Deputy Harper rose from his chair and went over to the pot stove to pour himself a cup of coffee. Next he slowly walked over the the cell and stood in front of the two women, one of whom way sitting on one of two cots, while the other was lying on her cot.

"So, which one of you is Lorraine and which one is Janet?" he asked.

"I'm Janet," said the older of the two women who was the one sitting on the cot.

"So you must be Lorraine," Harper said.

Lorraine did not so much as open her eyes. But she did raise an arm and rested her wrist on her forehead.

"You too look enough alike to be related. Are you?" Harper asked.

"She's..."

"Don't tell him," Lorraine said, still keeping her eyes closed.

"What?" Janet asked.

Lorraine sighed heavily and sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed.

"You don't need to be telling him or anyone else anything about me," she said, giving Janet a very chilly glare.

"Suppose you just tell me, then," Deputy Harper suggested.

Lorraine stood up and moved gracefully across the cell floor. She stopped inches from the bars and wrapped her thin, delicate fingers around two cell bars. She then slowly raised her eyes and looked at Deputy Harper seductively.

"I am the daughter of Wyoming Senator Cliffhower who is going to be very unhappy when he hears how you Deputy Harper, have man-handled me and locked me in your jail. Daddy won't be at all pleased with you."

Deputy Harper swallowed hard. He had no idea who the Wyoming Senators were, no idea if she was telling the truth, but she sounded...intimidating.

"No she isn't, " Janet said, rolling her eyes in disgust. She had heard so many lies from Lorraine that she had long ago stopped trying to eek out any truth from her.

"You sure about that, Ma'am?" Harper asked Janet.

"Yes, Deputy. I am quite sure,"

Lorraine threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "Janet, you're spoiling my fun," she said, a whiny tone now in her voice. Lorraine turned her attention back to the deputy.

"Didn't Kid Curry tell you anything about me? I made quite an impression on him while we were together."

"You mean Mr. Jones? I know for a fact he ain't Kid Curry," Harper replied.

"I think you'd be wise to get your facts straight," Lorraine replied.

"I'd like to do just that. But I'd like to start with you, Ma'am."

"Alright, I'm not the daughter of a senator," she said with a pouty expression on her face.

"So what's your last name?" Harper asked.

"Which one?"

"Most folks only have one last name, Ma'am."

"Well I have three. You see I've been married twice."

"So, what is your current last name?" Harper asked.

"I don't believe I have to tell you that," she told the deputy.

"Her name is Lorraine Bowers," Harry said from the other occupied cell.

"So you and Janet there, you're not related?"

"No, not yet anyway," Lorraine confessed.

"What does that mean?" Deputy Harper asked.

"Oh, for heaven sake," Harry said with great exasperation. "Lorraine is my daughter," Harry announced.

"Daddy!" Lorraine scolded.

Harry sighed. He'd had enough of her crazy notions. "She's... Her brain... She got thrown from a horse when she was twelve. Hit her head. It knocked her out cold. She's been making up lies, telling fantasy stories, stories she actually believes but are one hundred percent false, ever since."

"So, she's a bit...touched?" Deputy Harper asked.

Harry sighed heavily again. "I love my daughter, but... yes, that's a good way to describe it."

"She dangerous?" Harper asked.

Janet shook her head. "No, but she gets angry easily. Makes threats..."

"I'm warning you, Janet," Lorraine said.

"See what I mean?" Janet said.

"Then I'll tell him," Harry said. "She lives in a world of her own. Oh, she can function alright in the this world, but she honestly believes she's been married, believes she worked in a saloon, worked for Janet. Sometimes she even says Janet is her mother."

"If she's never been married, how come you two don't have the same last name?"

"Deputy, there is an explanation for that, but I am quite sure I should say nothing until I have legal council," Harry replied.

"Ah, so one of you is just using like an alias?"

Harry didn't reply but did make a wide, sweeping gesture with his arm.

"Guess I'd better leave all this sorting out for the Sheriff," Deputy Harper said and returned to his desk and sat down.

"Deputy," Lorraine said, "I hope you realize that Harry is a thief, a bank robber. Do you really expect to get an honest answer out of him?"

"Ma'am, I really don't expect to get an honest answer out of any one of the three of you. I'll just be leaving that up to the Sheriff, the judge, the lawyers, maybe some doctor, and of course a jury. The web you folks are weaving is far to thick and complicated for me to give it all a second thought."

"Deputy," Harry said. You may not realize it, but you are a very wise man."