Gotta Have a Plan
Kid Curry woke to the usual aches and pains that accompanied a beating he could not fully remember. His head ached and his left cheekbone burned. He raised his right hand to physically inspect the results of the hard uppercut he had sustained, only to find his left hand rose as well. Forcing both eyes open, Kid saw his wrists were handcuffed despite the fact that he was securely locked in a jail cell.
Kid raised his head inches from the pillow and saw the Sheriff sitting at his desk, busily filling out papers. He looked around and uttered a silent sigh of relief when he saw the two adjacent cells were empty.
"These necessary, unless of course that cell door ain't locked?" Kid asked in a quiet, even, and nonthreatening tone of voice.
"Till we find your partner, them cuffs is staying on."
"Partner?" Kid asked. "Where you been, Sheriff? Heyes and me split up almost two years ago."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"You believe anything you want, Sheriff, but it's true."
"And what would have caused the two of you to split up may I ask?"
"Amnesty."
"Amnesty? You know it seems I did hear something about that a few years back Now why would amnesty make the two of you split up?"
"I discovered the straight and narrow weren't the easiest path for me."
The Sheriff laughed. "No, I expect it probably wouldn't be. But, a man matching your partner's description was seen with you in the saloon two nights ago."
"Description on the wanted poster reads five-eleven, dark hair, medium build, 165 pounds. Sheriff, half the men in this town fit that description, and a couple of the women, too."
"But what would have ever made you and Heyes split up?"
"I got called out. Shot a man in a fair fight. The Sheriff just didn't happen to see it that way."
"So you got a murder charge now?"
"Nope. Just armed assault. But that was enough to withdraw the amnesty offer."
"So you're telling me Heyes got amnestied and you didn't?"
"Almost two years ago. Apparently news don't travel too fast in these parts."
"Or you lie almost as good as you shoot."
Kid reached above his head and pulled his hat down over his face.
"Think what you will, Sheriff."
"Well, being as you're awake, I'll go across the street and get you some breakfast, after I send a telegram to the authorities letting them know you're here. How you like your coffee?"
"Strong."
"And your women weak. Ain't that how the saying goes?"
Kid didn't bother to reply.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Two days later Kid was sitting on the cot, his legs stretched out, his back leaning against the wall. The handcuffs still in place. The Sheriff was again sitting at his desk completing his portion of the extradition papers when a dark haired man marched himself into the office and approached the Sheriff's desk
"Sheriff, I am Hannibal Heyes," Heyes announced, extending his hand for the customary handshake.
Instead the Sheriff stood and drew his gun as Kid sat up straight in on the cot and watched the events unfold.
"And you're under arrest," the Sheriff announced.
Heyes raised both hands in surrender fashion.
"Sheriff, I'm gonna reach into my vest pocket for some papers you need to see," Heyes said cautiously, his movements slow and steady. He pulled a stack of folded papers from his pocket and handed them to the Sheriff.
Keeping his gun pointed at Heyes, the Sheriff set the papers on the desk and began skimming through them.
"Well, I guess the Kid was right. You is amnestied," the Sheriff said and holstered his gun, then gathered and folded the papers again.
Heyes looked at Kid. "How did you know?"
Kid shrugged. "Read it somewhere, I guess. Congratulations."
"You mind if I keep hold of these for a few days till I can get a Judge to verify that they're authentic?" the Sheriff asked.
Heyes quickly snatched the papers from the Sheriff's hand and returned them to his vest pocket.
"Of course I mind!" He exclaimed "Them papers is what keeps me outta places like this. I gotta carry them with me all the time! Now, when's Kid getting extradited?"
"Friday. Wyoming is sending a couple of Marshals to escort him by train, in a special coach car just for him and the guards," the Sheriff explained.
"Can I talk to him?" Heyes asked.
"Leave you gun and holster on the desk, and your lock picks, too."
Heyes looked at the Sheriff with some surprise. "How did you know I had lock picks?"
Sheriff chuckled. "That's common knowledge. So common, it ought to be on the poster."
"Except there shouldn't even be a poster no more," Heyes replied indignantly as he placed the items on the desk.
"Gotta frisk you, too."
After performing the standard search on Heyes, the Sheriff reached for a set of keys in his desk drawer.
"You come on up here to the front of the cell now son, and I'll unlock them handcuffs."
Kid climbed off the cot and walked to the front of the cell and slid his hands and wrists through the bars and the Sheriff removed the handcuffs.
"You ever wear a pair of these, Sheriff?" Kid asked as he rubbed his wrists.
"Can't say that I have."
"Well they ain't comfortable."
Kid stayed standing at the front of the cell as Heyes approached. When the Sheriff made no move to retreat, two heads turned and two pairs of eyes glared at him.
"Do you mind? We'd like to have a private conversation," Heyes said.
The Sheriff shook his head and looked at Kid. "I always thought you was the hot tempered one."
Kid smiled. "Another misconception," he replied.
"Uh-uh," the Sheriff said but returned to his desk.
Heyes winced at the sight of Kid's black eye. They kept their voices low.
"How many did it take to get you?"
"Kid smiled. "Four, but I'm alright. I see you managed just fine."
"You need anything?
Kid smiled. "Heyes, I got all the comforts of home here."
"Yeah, I can see that," Heyes replied, glancing around the nearly empty cell.
"Sheriff, is he going to Cheyenne or straight to Laramie," Heyes asked, raising his voice considerably.
"Says here the sentencing is in Cheyenne followed by an immediate transfer to the Federal Prison in Laramie."
"I'll take the next train to Cheyenne, Kid and see if I can get you a good lawyer," Heyes said, his voice still loud enough for the Sheriff to overhear.
"Lawyer is likely just a waste of your money, Heyes," Kid replied, giving the Sheriff a quick glace to see if he was listening. Kid shrugged slightly when he saw the Sheriff was leaning over the papers on his desk.
"Might be able to get your sentence reduced. I think it's worth a try," Heyes replied.
"I guess I ain't in no position to argue."
Heyes smiled and turned and walked to the Sheriff's desk to retrieve his gun and lock picks. "He got any personal possessions I can take off your hands?' Heyes asked.
The Sheriff looked up at Kid. "You want him taking your things?"
Kid shrugged. "Guess I ain't got no use for em."
The Sheriff handed Heyes Kid's gun and a few dollars in change.
"That's all he's got."
Heyes gathered the items and headed toward the door.
"Heyes," Kid called to him.
Heyes stopped at the door and turned around to look at Kid.
"It was good to see you again,"
"Good to see you too, Kid," Heyes replied and headed out the door.
"I guess you weren't lying," the Sheriff said as Kid returned to his cot and laid down.
"Got no reason to lie," Kid replied, pulling his hat over his face once again.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Turn around and slide your hands through the bars again, Kid. Gotta get the handcuffs back on," the Sheriff told him while the two Federal Marshals stood looking over the transfer paperwork.
Kid turned with his back to the bars and slid his hands and wrists through the bars once again. The handcuffs clicked as they locked around his wrists. Kid winced at the sound but pulled his arms back through the bars.
The Sheriff unlocked the cell and opened the door.
"You can step out now, son."
Kid moved slowly and walked out of the cell. One of the Marshals pulled a second set of handcuffs from his back pocket and clicked one side into the pair of cuffs Kid was wearing.
"From behind? You're gonna wrench my arm," Kid protested.
"It'll come off once we're on the train," the Marshall replied. "Just ain't taking no chances with the likes of Kid Curry."
Kid shook his head. "I can't tell you how old that saying gets," he moaned.
"Well you probably won't be hearing it much in prison," the Marshall replied.
"I don't expect you to have no trouble. He's been a model prisoner," the Sheriff told the Marshals.
A Marshal stood on either side of Kid and held a tight grip on Kid's upper arms.
"I'll just bet he has," one of the Marshals replied. "Come on, lets go."
They led Kid down the two blocks of the street to the train station. Anyone who happened to be out on the street stopped and stared at the notorious outlaw. Kid ignored those gawking at him, keeping his eyes on the boardwalk so as not to see women pulling their children close to their skirts, men pointing or shaking their heads.
They pulled Kid to a stop when they reached the special transport car and waited for a conductor to notice them.
"Anyone try to board?" one of the Marshals asked.
"No. It's been sitting here all morning and no one's come anywhere near this car."
"Well, we're going to board now so your can tell the engineer he can latch the car onto the train anytime now."
"Yes Sir. I'll let him know. You know, I was working on a train once that you and your gang held up," the conductor told Kid. Never met a nicer bunch of bandits."
"Kid smiled. "Well there is a proper etiquette to train robbery. We always tried to follow that," Kid replied as he was pulled toward the steps of the car and led into the coach.
Kid was shoved down the aisle to the middle of the car. Still standing, the Marshall unlocked the handcuffs that bound Kid and the Marshal together. Kid was then shoved a little more roughly into the seat and the other Marshal took a couple of steps back and drew his gun.
"Ah, I know the poster says dead or alive, but I ain't given you no reason to shoot me," Kid said cautiously.
"Lean forward. I'm just gonna move your handcuffs around to the front. It's a long ride to Cheyenne. No point being in misery."
"Ah," Kid said with some obvious relief as he leaned forward so the Marshal could unlock the cuffs. Kid moved his hands to the front and rubbed each wrist. "I appreciate this."
Once the handcuffs were secure, the Marshal again attached one end of the second pair of cuffs to the cuffs Kid was wearing. He attached the loose end to the metal frame of the armrest so Kid's arms were again pulled slightly to one side.
"Least I think I do," Kid added.
They sat in the seats for nearly twenty minutes before being jolted backward as the car was connected to the rest of the train.
"Think we can all just settle in for a nice long ride now," one of the Marshals said as the train slowly began to pull out of the station.
"One of you fellas mind pulling my hat down over my eyes? I think I'd like to sleep for a while."
0-0-0-0-0-0
Kid was jolted awake several hours later when the train came to a halt at a watering station.
"I hate to tell you this boys, but I need to take a piss," he told the Marshals.
"Once the train gets back up to speed," he was told.
Kid nodded. "Just so you know, jumping off a moving train is hard enough, but wearing these handcuff, I wouldn't even try with the train standing still. It's a surefire way to get yourself hurt."
Once the train had reached its forty mile an hour maximum again, one of the Marshals unlocked the handcuff attached to the arm of the seat and Kid stood up slowly and stretched his shoulders as best he could.
"Ready?"
Kid nodded and the two Marshals sandwiched between him and made their way to the end of the car where the water closet was located. One of the Marshals opened the door and Kid stepped in, but was quickly followed and cramped inside by the other Marshall.
"An audience?" Kid asked. "Might take a little while with an audience."
"Just get your business done."
"With these?" Kid asked holding up his arms to bring the handcuffs into view.
"Yep, with those," the Marshal replied.
Kid sighed heavily and shifted as best he could so his back was to the Marshal and his body was as near the small narrow window as possible. Making a bit of a show of just how cramped the quarters were, Kid bumped and nudged against the Marshall at every opportunity. Finally completing his task, Kid fumbled with the buttons on his pants. A sudden jolt of the train sent Kid's hands to the sill of the window, supposedly to brace himself. But with his hand on the windowsill, Kid was able to slip the small two inch long metal lock pick that had been placed on the sill, into the palm of his hand.
"Done," Kid announced and the Marshall gratefully opened the door and Kid was again sandwiched between the two men as they returned to their seats. The loose end of the second pair of hand cuffs was again secured to the armrest.
Late in the afternoon, the Conductor knocked on the door and one of the Marshals got up and spoke with the Conductor and accepted three paper bags. Then he shut the door and locked it and returned to the seats they occupied.
"Supper," he explained.
Kid smiled. "Gonna loosen me up a bit?" he asked, referring to the handcuffs.
"They're sandwiches. We're gonna feed you," one of the Marshals replied.
"Fellas, have I given you any reason to be so distrustful?" Kid asked with mock offense.
"I will say Curry that you are about the nicest outlaw I have ever met. But outlaw you are and as an outlaw you will be treated."
"Ah, you don't see me treating you like a couple of Marshals," Kid replied as a sandwich was pushed toward his mouth and he was forced to take a bite.
Late into the night, with the lights dimmed, Kid sat with his eyes closed and his head leaning against the back of the seat, letting his head bob lazily with the rhythmic movement of the train. He sat like this until well after midnight, occasionally opening his eyes just a tiny slit to see if the Marshals were sleeping. When he was finally convinced by their snoring, Kid worked the lock pick from the palm of his hand to his fingers and deftly unlocked the armrest cuff. Next he set to work on the cuffs binding his hands together.
Near dawn the train came to a halt at a water station, jolting the two Marshals awake. Both men sat up straight and stared at the empty space where Kid Curry had been seated. One got up and ran to the door. Finding it still locked, he ran to the other end of the car and found that door still locked as well.
Walking back, checking under every seat, he stopped suddenly and stared at the open window on the opposite side from where they were sitting. He turned and stared at his companion in disbelief.
0-0-0-0-0-0
High up the embankment, hidden in the woods, sat Hannibal Heyes on his sorrel horse, grinning ear to ear as he watched his partner climb the embankment with the stealth of a bobcat. Kid stayed crouched low as he climbed the embankment and moved quickly into the woods.
"You got any idea how many miles I've had to follow this train?" Heyes asked as Kid skillfully jumped onto his Chestnut and gathered the reins.
"Sorry. Couldn't do nothing till they fell asleep."
Heyes smiled and handed Kid his gun belt and change. Kid quickly strapped on the gun belt and checked the gun for bullets.
"You know, I am really glad we came up with the idea of having escape plans all figured out before we have the need to use them," Heyes said as they pulled their reins sharply and headed deeper into the woods.
"Teaching me how to pick a lock certainly has come in handy," Kid replied.
"And having a code word to let the other one know which plan we're putting into action."
"Yeah. 'Congratulations.' Nobody would ever figure that to be a code word," Kid said with a hearty laugh. "Heyes, I know I've said it before, but you really are a genius."