Chapter One
The scene was a familiar one. Two men were seated alone at a corner table in a dingy barroom. It was early afternoon but the room had already taken on a decidedly grayish cast, an offshoot of the muddy light coming in the big front windows. Rain pattered against the tin roof and every once in a while, the dull rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. If there was lightningpreceding that thunder, it never quite managed to penetrate the murky shroud that seemed to have covered the room.
The powerfully built blond man studied the man sitting across the table from him. Suddenly he smiled. "You know, Joshua, I'm real impressed with how good you're taking being cooped up so much these last few days."
Hannibal Heyes was leaned back in his chair, one foot up on the square bar table in front of him, the picture of relaxation. A half-empty bottle of rotgut whiskey stood on the table next to his sole-worn boot. Both men had been in the saloon for an hour or so and were getting contentedly loose. The ex-highwayman nodded in the direction of his boot before turning to focus, with just a little difficulty, on his partner. "Why, thank you, Thaddeus. I'm mighty impressed with myself too." He graced his partner with a well-oiled smile.
Curry smirked back at him. "Yep, only thing is…maybe it's time we thought about leaving this town. We've been here almost a week waiting to start work on that ranch job and the rain ain't let up once. If we don't get some money soon, we won't be able to keep paying for the room, let alone food."
The saloon was not as full as it would be later in the day but there was plenty of action going on nonetheless. A couple poker games were in full swing and the men at the bar were tossing dice to see who would buy the next round. Loud, raucous laughter assaulted the senses from all directions but this was music to the ears for Heyes and Curry. So far, nobody had gotten into any fights or thrown any punches but there was still hope that this type of excitement would materialize before the afternoon was over. Heyes and Curry enjoyed a good bar fight as much as the next man as long as they weren't the ones getting the worst of it.
"Thaddeus, you worry too much. Try to be more like me. Relax and enjoy yourself for a while. Have another drink." He shoved the bottle towards Kid with the toe of his boot as his eyes wandered up; following the retreating back of a saloon girl who swished past their table, appreciating the graceful movement and enticing rustle of her satin skirts as she walked away. She glanced over her shoulder at him as she passed, casting her most flirtatious smile his way. "Besides, we got enough money to last a few days yet. I don't relish the thought of setting out on the trail with everything being so muddy like it is." Heyes' eyes were still locked on the saloon girl's form. "I'll be back in a minute, Thaddeus," he said as he rose from his chair, just a tad unsteadily, patting Kid's arm.
Kid smiled. "Take your time, Joshua." It didn't take a genius to figure out where Heyes was going. He watched his friend weave his way through the tables, wondering how much of his newfound calmness came from the whiskey bottle. It didn't matter much. He was just pleased that Heyes seemed so relaxed. He worried about Heyes sometimes.
Heyes was almost halfway across the barroom floor when Kid heard someone shout out, "Hannibal Heyes?"
Heyes froze in mid-step, instantly sober, afraid to even turn around in search of the source of the voice. It felt like every eye in the room was looking his direction even while he tried to make himself disappear.
Kid swiveled in his chair, hand on his weapon, trying to see who it was that had hollered Heyes' name. Whoever it was, he was concealed from sight by the throng of men standing at the bar. Seconds passed and still no one moved. Convinced that their only chance of escape rested with him using his gun, Kid deliberately rose from his chair, trying to attract as little attention as possible while unsnapping the gun from his holster. Every nerve in his body was on alert, anticipating trouble.
Just as he was about to make his move, the men at the bar broke out into another round of rowdy laughter. Nearly every man in the place, not to mention the working girls, joined them. Only three people appeared to be left out of the joke…Heyes and Kid and the man who had caused the commotion in the first place.
The voice shouted again, more adamant this time, "And there's Kid Curry, too." This declaration was met with another round of laughter, louder and more hilarious than the first. Still stunned, Heyes forced himself to join in. His eyes wide, he forced a smile onto his face. With a little more effort, he managed to force a half-hearted laugh out after it. He looked over at Kid and, communicating only with his eyes, let him know to follow along. It seemed as though no one else was taking the voice too seriously so they needed to look like they didn't either.
Neither Heyes nor Kid had placed the voice yet but there was a certain familiarity about it that Heyes knew he should recognize. As the laughter died down again, a boisterous fellow pounded his palm onto the top of the bar and hollered, "Winnie, you kill me, you know that? How many times is that now, five—six?" Turning to stare at Heyes and Kid, the enthusiastic gent motioned them over with a broad, sweeping gesture, "Heyes, Curry---c'mon over here. Let Bud Aimes buy you a drink. Ain't every day we get a couple of famous outlaws in our bar." He roared in laughter and continued, "Truth be told, it's been a far sight more offen since old Winnie came to town." Amused at his own wit, he slammed his palm into the bar a couple more times.
Hesitantly, but with his fake smile still firmly set in place, Heyes approached the bar, signaling Kid to do the same. Kid, who still had his hand close to his gun, warily went along, his blue eyes clouded with doubt. Bud threw his arm around Heyes as if they were long lost buddies and pulled him in next to him at the bar, shoving against the man on his other side to make room. "Sam, set my friends here up with a couple, would ya?"
From where he stood, Heyes could see every man bellied up to the bar. His smile slipped just a bit and his eyes widened in surprise when he finally realized who had yelled his name a minute before. Standing, but just barely, at the end of the L-shaped bar was someone who he and Kid had met on two prior occasions.
If he had passed this man on the street, Heyes was sure he wouldn't have recognized him as he was now. The fellow leaning against the edge of the bar had fallen far indeed. The clothes he wore had at one time been expensive and elegant but now they were tattered and dirty. His well-manicured fingernails had become ragged and caked with grime. His hair, once meticulously cut and combed, now hung in stringy sections around his face. But his eyes were still the same little beady ferret eyes Heyes remembered and right now those eyes were staring, a little unfocused at Kid and him.
His head drooped forward into his chest, the weight of it apparently too much for his neck to sustain. He stayed like this for a full minute. Then he seemed to remember where he was and what he was doing. He lifted his head to look across the bar at Heyes and Curry again. In a heavily slurred voice, he said to the men gathered near him, "I'm telling you…this time I'm right…these two really are Heyes and Curry." The effort of speaking seemed to be too much for the poor fellow and he leaned even more heavily against the bar.
Bud snickered again. "Hey, Ralph—why don't you help old Winnie get home. Sounds like he needs to sleep this one off."
"Yeah I guess I could do that. I'm 'bout done here myself anyways." Ralph grabbed Winnie, who made only a feeble protest as to how "this time it really is them", and propelled him out the door.
Heyes was dumbfounded. The last time he and Kid has seen Winford Fletcher was back at Red Gap. He had a feeling they would run into him again some time but never imagined they would find him like this. Still uneasy but even more curious to find out how 'Winnie' ended up here, he was eager to strike up a conversation with Bud.
By this time, two beers had been placed on the bar in front of them courtesy of Bud's giving nature. Heyes hefted his glass and took a greedy swallow to calm his nerves. When he found his voice, he said, "Mighty nice of you to buy us a beer, Bud. My name's Joshua Smith and this here is my partner, Thaddeus Jones," making sure to emphasize their 'names' in hopes of avoiding any more confusion.
"Smith and Jones, huh? Maybe Winnie IS right this time." Just as Kid's gun hand started itching a little bit, Bud whooped with laughter again.
Heyes forced another laugh from his own throat and slapped Bud on the back, glancing at Kid to let him know everything was ok. "So who is that guy? And why does he think we're those two vile outlaws, Hannibal Heyes and That Kid Fellow?"
"Oh, there's quite a story there all right…if you're inclined to believe it. Word is that Winnie used to be quite an impressive figure. Claims to have been a big real estate investor over at Silver Springs. Big shot, you know. Lots of money, fancy clothes."
"Uh, what happened to him?" Kid asked.
"Seems he had a couple of run-ins with Heyes and Curry. Took him for a pile of money on both occasions. I figure it just about drove him crazy. Anyways, after the last time, he vowed he'd get even with those two crooks even if it took everything he had…I reckon it's done just that."
Heyes smiled again, this time more genuinely. "Huh! Imagine that. Poor deluded fellow."
"Yep. I heard he's spent up all his money looking for them, private detectives and all that. He's just been going from town to town searching for them and finally ended up here, flat broke. Now he spends most days right here in this saloon."
Bud took a huge swallow of beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before continuing, "Hardly a week goes by he doesn't accuse some poor saps of being Heyes and Curry. You'd be surprised how many fellows resemble that pair. Sheriff took the first couple of times more seriously but now everybody, including him, just ignores him."
"Poor devil."
"Yep. He's plumb crazy."
"Huh. Sad story." Heyes drained his beer, signaling Kid to do likewise. "Bud, it was nice meeting you and we thank you for the beer. C'mon Thaddeus. Let's go."
Back at their own table, Kid and Heyes went over what had just happened. "So what do you think Heyes? You think maybe it might be a good time to leave town now?" Kid asked, somewhat impatiently.
"Why would we want to do that?"
"Why? I'll tell you why. Because we just got identified to every man jack in this here whole town, that's why!"
"You heard Bud. He said nobody takes Fletcher seriously. And I can see why. That man's fallen harder than an oak tree in a tornado. I ain't never seen anything like it. I almost feel sorry for him." Heyes tsked quietly and then seemed to let his mind wander somewhere else.
Kid stared at his partner for a few seconds, amazed at how unruffled he seemed to be. Maybe a mite too relaxed, he thought wryly. Finally, frowning, he asked, "But what if he manages to convince somebody…like the sheriff…then what?"
"Hm?" Heyes asked, his mind still elsewhere. "Oh. Oh yeah. Well, we'll just worry about that when the time comes, Kid. In the meantime, I have some unfinished business with that little filly over there." His warm brown eyes were fastened on the saloon girl he had been pursuing earlier, before Winford Fletcher distracted him from his course. She was leaning against the bar staring back at him. If anything, she appeared to be even more interested in him now that there was the possibility, no matter how slight or farfetched, that he might be the dangerous outlaw Hannibal Heyes.
Heyes got up from his chair again, all unsteadiness gone, and set out across the barroom one more time. This time he was not stopped. Kid watched as his friend sidled up to the pretty girl in the satin dress. Heyes smiled at her and she batted her lashes teasingly at him. Heyes motioned for the barman to bring them some drinks and settled his arm around the girl's narrow waist, pulling her in close.
Kid watched as the couple at the bar drained their shots. Then he watched as Heyes caught the young woman's chin with his fingertips, turning her face towards his before kissing her deeply on her painted lips. At this point, Kid turned his attention to the poker game going on a few tables away. He guessed that Heyes was going to be busy for a while and poker would be as good a way as any to pass the time for a while.
Kid got up and walked over to the other table. From the corner of his eye, he could see Heyes and the girl walking hand in hand up the stairs.