A Fall From Grace
(Takes place one year after The Fifth Victim)
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Heyes woke first, every inch of his body aching, face and exposed wrists covered in scratches and abrasions, clothes stained with mud and dirt. He spit tiny bits of twigs, dried leaves, an dirt from his mouth and lips Placing the palms of both hands firmly on the ground, he raised himself up and looked around, trying to get his bearings. To his left the ravine, down which they had fallen, rose five hundred feet high. To his right, he could hear the babbling of a brook or a stream just beyond his view. The ground on which he lay was the floor of a vast forest of Birch and Aspen, just sparse enough to let the warm autumn sun shine through.
Kid. Where was Kid? Had he suffered the same fate and gone careening down that ravine in the dark of the night? Focusing on the ground, Heyes scanned the nearby area, at first seeing no sign of his partner. Then his eyes came to rest on the sole of a boot wedged between two trees, the toe of the boot resting on the ground. Looking beyond the boot, beyond the two trees, Heyes saw Kid, lying supine on the ground, not moving but for the rise and fall of his chest.
"Kid," Heyes called to him, his voice raspy and dry.
When he got no response, Heyes moved one leg, then the other and when confident neither was broken, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled across the dried leaves and sticks to where his partner lay. Heyes dropped to his knees near Kid's head and was both surprised and relieved to see Kid' eyes open.
"You alright?" Heyes asked.
"Think my ankle's broken. Other than that, just bruised and sore. What about you?"
"Same as you, bruised and sore."
"We got horses?"
"Probably waiting for us at the top of the ravine."
Kid winced and a seething sound escaped him.
"Ankle?" Heyes asked.
"Yeah. It's twisted bad."
"I'll take a look."
Heyes moved down to the two trees that held Kid's ankle firmly wedged between the two trunks, grotesquely twisted. "No two ways about it, Kid. I'm gonna hafta yank your foot outta there."
"It's already swelled against the boot, Heyes. Once it's free, you're gonna hafta cut the boot off and find a way to splint it."
Heyes turned and looked up the tall ravine, all the while chewing on his lower lip.
"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing, Heyes. But we're just going to hafta find a way to do it."
"And then what? Do we do the sensible thing and keep going, or the foolish thing and go back to town?"
"I suspect we do what we usually do, Heyes. We agree to the sensible, then do the foolish. Now, can we do something about getting outta of this situation before I pass out from the pain?"
"You mean something like this?" Heyes asked, placing one hand firmly under the heel of Kid's boot and the other hand around the side of the boot that covered the lower end of his calf.
"You ready, Kid?"
Kid nodded and dug his fingers into the soft, wet ground.
Heyes tightened his grip, silently counted to three, then gave Kid's foot a quick and forceful upward yank.
"Jesus!" Kid shouted as the pain shot through his ankle. "On the outside chance it weren't broke before, it sure as hell is now!"
Heyes laid Kid's foot gently on the ground, then reached across him to the other boot. Sliding Kid's pant leg up, Heyes withdrew the hunting knife from the sheath inside Kid's boot and, working as quickly and skillfully as he could, cut the leather of the boot off Kid's injured leg. With some effort, Heyes was able to remove the boot with stifled complaints from his partner.
Kid raised himself up on his elbows to examine the injured foot that was stretching the limits of the sock. "Best cut the sock a bit too, Heyes."
Heyes cut some slack into the sock, then removed his jacket and balled it up into a pillow that he carefully placed under Kid's foot. Finally he stood and scoured the nearby ground for branches or sticks that he could use to splint the ankle. Using both their bandannas, Heyes positioned and tied the splint securely about Kid's ankle.
"Now, to climb up that ridge without you putting any weight on that ankle," Heyes said, thinking aloud.
"Avoiding weight won't be a problem. Scaling that ravine might be another story," Kid told him.
"Can you stand on your good foot?"
Kid nodded. "If you help me get up."
Twenty minutes later they were standing at the base of the ravine, gazing up at the steep, vertical hill, both contemplating the daunting task.
"I could climb it alone," Heyes suggested. "If our horses are up there waiting for us, I could use the lassos to tie a harness and let the horses pull you up."
"Only problem with that idea is that the horses don't know where the trees are, and that just might land me between a rock and a hard place."
"You got another idea?"
"I think we're both just gonna hafta climb it, knowing it's gonna take me considerably longer than you."
Heyes nodded. "You ready?"
"You know there's a bigger problem once we get to the top," Kid added."
"What's that?"
"Getting me onto a saddle."
"Maybe that's where the lassos will come in handy, Kid."
"Yeah," Kid replied doubtfully.
An hour later Heyes stood at the edge of the ravine watching Kid lying on his belly, and using both arms but only one leg to inch his way up the ravine. When Kid was about twenty yards from the top, Heyes threw one end of a lasso down to him.
"Tie this around your waist and I'll guide the rope and let the horse do the rest of the work."
"I'd rather you guided the horse instead of me, Heyes," Kid shouted as he tied the rope around his waist. "I wouldn't want him to decide to break into a gallop."
Ten minutes later, Kid lay panting at the top of the ravine.
"Now all we gotta do is get you on your horse," Heyes said with some relief.
Still breathing heavily, Kid raised his eyes up to his partner. "Suppose you got that figured out, uh?"
Heyes nodded. "First we're gonna get you over to that rock," Heyes said, pointing to a three foot tall rock on the other side of the path. "We'll get you standing on that rock with your good foot, bring your horse up next to you, then you grab the horn and the back of the saddle, we'll run the rope over the top of the saddle and use my horse to hoist you up far enough for you to hop your good foot into the stirrup, then pull yourself into the saddle."
"It don't sound like one of your better ideas, Heyes."
"It'll work," Heyes replied, his voice sounding more confident than his words.
With a lot of pulling, shoving, and grumbling, the idea worked and now both men were astride their horses. Kid's injured foot dangled outside the stirrup and he could literally feel the swelling of the ankle expanding.
"Heyes, them men that jumped us...I swear I saw a badge."
"So you think the sheriff had us beaten and dumped down that ravine? What was his name, Kid? I wasn't in much condition to keep track of such things."
"Moody. Sheriff Moody. He didn't seem like the kind of fella that would resort to such things."
"Maybe the town's got a new sheriff."
"Maybe. Either way, I think we ought to make a point not to be seen."
"Sounds like you have an idea?" Heyes asked.
"Yep... Let's go."
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In the wee hours of the moonless night, Hannibal Heyes waited patiently in the dark alley until the street was nearly void of people. Music and bawdy laughter wafted from the saloon out into the shadowy street. Seeing no one, he moved quickly from the alley to the boardwalk, and hurried past the closed shops. Reaching the saloon, Heyes slipped inside, his eyes sweeping the room before landing on the person he had come to see.
Helen.
Helen was in many ways, a typical working girl. She dressed to entice and please, wore false eyelashes and layers of powdered makeup. She wore a yellow dress, cut low to reveal deep cleavage, and cut just below the knee to reveal slender, shapely legs. Black lace trim accented her black stockings, and the black velvet choker about her neck. Her light brown, almost blonde hair was piled high and neatly woven, with wisps falling loosely to frame her face. She walked with an aluring confidence and her voice had just a trace of a teasing, raspy, seductive quality.
"Helen?" Heyes said as he approached the empty table she was clearing.
"Smith," she replied with a smile.
"Wonder if there was some place we could talk, in private."
Helen eyed Heyes' dirty clothes and battered face and knew he wasn't seeing the physical comforts of a woman. "Only place private is a room upstairs, and that'll cost you."
Heyes nodded and Helen saw him glance nervously around the room.
"Come on," she told him as she carried the tray of empty glasses to the bar and set it down. She gave the bartender a quick nod to let him know she'd be working on her own time for a few minutes,then nodded to Heyes and headed up the stairs.
"Talk, uh?" she asked after they were both inside the room and she was now leaning with her back against the closed door. "This have something to do with Jones being absent?
"He ain't absent. He's in the alley outside your window."
Helen moved to the window and looked out into the alley below where she saw Kid sitting slightly slumped astride his horse. She let the curtain drop back into place and turned her attention back to Heyes. "More trouble?" she asked.
"More trouble?" Heyes asked.
Helen smiled. "Seems every time the two of you come to town, there's trouble following right behind. What is it now?"
"Thaddeus and me met the welcoming committee in the alley last night. Found ourselves at the bottom of a pretty high ravine this morning. Thaddeus is hurt. His ankle's broken."
"That's why he's waiting outside?"
"Yeah. We both figure once he's off his horse, he won't be getting back on for a while. We thought maybe you'd know who it was that's wanting us out of town so bad."
Helen shook her head. "You don't know who it was that done this?"
"No. It was dark. Thaddeus thinks he saw a badge, but he's not certain. I might recognize couple of them if I was to see them again, but as far as names, no," he said, shaking his head.
"Somebody wants you out of town that bad, you two might not want to be seen hanging out around here."
"Uh-uh. We was hoping you could help us with that. You know of some empty cabin outside of town we could occupy?"
"Take the alley out of town and follow that road about three miles east. You'll have to look close, but there's a path that will be on your right. Follow that about half a mile and you'll find a cabin. There's food, beds, a barn for your horses."
"Fully stocked, who does it belong to?"
Helen smiled. "That's where I live. I keep that path obscured. I don't fancy visitors. Does Jones need a doctor?"
Heyes nodded.
"I'll tell Doc Atley to stop by in the morning."
Heyes smiled. "Thaddeus said you were someone to be trusted. I guess he was right."
Helen smiled. "I like Jones. I like that he tried to find the truth about Harvey Bishop. I'll be by in the morning, after sunup."
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"Hello Jones," Helen said as she stood in the bedroom doorway of her cabin, a bottle of whiskey in her hand. "I thought this might be of some medicinal benefit to you."
Kid was sitting up in the bed, his injured leg propped up on pillows. "Sorry for the inconvenience," he said, offering her the best smile he could muster. "Taking your bed and all."
"You find everything you need?" Helen asked Heyes who was sitting in a rocking chair near the foot of Kid's bed.
"Yes, and Thaddeus and I do appreciate this," Heyes told her.
"Doc Atley will be out early this morning. We decided riding out together might cause some unwanted attention. So, just why were the two of you given such a heartwarming welcome to town?" Helen asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down, careful not to jostle the mattress or the pillows.
"We was hoping you might have heard something about that, darlin'," Kid told her.
Helen uncorked the whiskey bottle and handed it to Kid. "I kind of figured that, so I kept my ears open last night. Sorry to disappoint you, but there just weren't no talk of it, at least none that I heard."
"Helen, what happened at Jake Carlson's trial?" Heyes asked.
"Same thing that happens at any rich man's rial. Not guilty. Jury decided that being as Harvey killed three men, Jake must have killed Harvey in self defense. After the trial, he and Rachel sold the ranch and moved to St Louis."
"Sounds like there might be folks here that think Jake got away with murder?" Heyes asked.
The knock on the cabin door interrupted the conversation. "That's Dr. Atley," Helen said as she got up off the bed and headed out to the front room.
"You think our getting beaten and tossed down a ravine had something to do with Jake Carlson's trial?" Kid asked. "That seems a bit far fetched. It's been over a year since Jake went to trial, Heyes."
"Can you think of any other explanation?"
Kid sighed. "No. But that don't make me any more certain about your explanation."
"Kid, you're the one that figured out it was Bishop doing all those killings. Somebody sees you ride into town, well they just might not take much of a liking to that."
"It ain't like Harvey went to trial, and I sure as hell didn't kill him. No Heyes, it's gotta be something else."
"Jones, this is Dr. Atley," Helen said, leading the doctor into the room.
"So, you think your ankle is broken?" Dr. Atley asked.
"Feels like it."
"How did it happen?"
"I a, I took a tumble, a five hundred foot tumble."
"Well, let me take a look at it and we'll decide upon a course of action."
Helen and Heyes moved to the front room of the cabin while Dr. Atley examined Kid's ankle.
"You didn't answer my question," Heyes said to her. "Are there people in town who feel Jake should have been found guilty?"
"You ever know of a trial where the entire town agrees the verdict was just?" she asked.
"I suppose not. But Harvey Bishop killed three men. He tried to kill me and Thaddeus. I think it would stand to reason that Jake likely fired in self defense, and there were no witnesses to dispute that theory."
"I didn't attend the trial, Mr. Smith. I think the jury likely came to the same conclusion you did. But Harvey Bishop had friends in this town. Loyal friends."
"Loyal enough to want Jake Carlson hung? Loyal enough to try to run Thaddeus and me outta town?"
"Like I said, I never heard a word mentioned of that last night. But everybody knows you and Jones were working for Jake. They know Rachel tended to you when you got shot. They likely figure you've got some loyalty toward him."
"Something just doesn't add up," Heyes said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean? Something about the trial?"
"I don't know yet. It might be the trial. It might be something else, but you'll keep your ears open?"
"Helen, will you bring some water to a boil so I can get my instruments ready, and then I'd like your help when I repair this man's ankle," Dr. Atley called from the bedroom doorway.
Helen, nodded, then turned back to Heyes. "I'll let you know if I hear anything," she replied, and moved to the sink to pump water for boiling on the stove.
Three hours later, Kid lay in the bed sleeping soundly from the effects of the chloroform, his ankle heavily bandaged and elevated and supported by pillows.
Heyes had been pacing nervously in the main room, the whiskey bottle now half spent. Dr. Atley walked into the main room to let Heyes know how the operation went. Helen followed him out after quietly closing the bedroom door.
"He'll sleep a few more hours. I don't want him out of bed and absolutely no weight is to be placed on that ankle," Dr. Atley said, then handed Heyes a small bottle of white powder. "Half a teaspoon in a full glass of water every four hours. It'll help the pain and let his sleep. You might see some bleeding seeping through the bandages. If you do, don't try to change the bandage, just add more layers of cloth. I'll be back in the morning to check on him.
Helen turned to Heyes. "I have to be at work in a few hours, so I'm going to go get some sleep, too."
Heyes nodded and carried the whiskey bottle back into Kid's bedroom. Shutting the door behind him, Heyes set the whiskey bottle on the dresser and settled into a rocking chair. Pulling a spare blanket up over him, he hoped the whiskey would help him fall asleep.
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Helen had left for work by the time Kid woke and Heyes lit a lamp and mixed the pain powders in some water for Kid to drink.
"Doc says no arguing about taking this every four hours. Said he'd be back in the morning to check on you. How are you feeling by the way?"
Kid tried to pull himself up in the bed and Heyes hastily set the glass on the nightstand and grabbed the pillows to keep them positioned under and around Kid's ankle.
"Doc also said no getting out of bed, and no weight on that ankle at all."
Kid looked down at the heavily bandaged ankle not covered by the blankets. "Did he say it's gonna heal up proper?" Kid asked. "I don't want to be limping around the rest of my life."
"Didn't say one way or the other and I don't think beggars can be choosers here, Kid. You hungry?"
Kid yawned and shook his head. "Sleepy mostly."
"I could fix you up with some bacon and eggs if you want them."
"Maybe later. What time is it?"
"Around four. You awake enough to talk things through a bit?"
"You mean like who wouldda thrown us down a ravine and left us for dead? Yeah, I'm awake enough for that."
"Helen said there are folks in town who think Jake got away with murder when he killed Harvey Bishop."
"Heyes, Bishop was a murderer himself. He tied to kill the both of us. How could anybody think Jake killing Bishop was anything but self defense?"
"That puzzles me, too. I think there's a missing link somewhere."
"What kind of missing link?"
"I think someone in this town has a secret."
"Alright, so what kind of secret?" Kid asked.
"I don't know. Maybe something about how Bishop was killed or... I don't know. But I do know that whoever owns that secret must have seen us ride into town, and must have gotten very nervous about that."
"Heyes, everybody that was in that poker game is either dead or has left town."
"True, but with one exception, Kid."
"Who... The Sheriff? You think the Sheriff is hiding something?"
"I can't think of anybody else that would be hell bent on wanting to get us out of here. Can you?"
"Heyes, we can't go making trouble for a Sheriff."
"I know. But I'd sure like to be a fly on his wall right now."
"Just asking for trouble, Heyes. Even if he does have a secret, it don't concern us, not enough to get involved, anyway."
"You're right, and as soon as you're able to travel, I think we'd best leave this town... Kid, you know Helen better than I do. Can we trust Helen to keep it a secret that we're here?"
Kid sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head. "You're just a bundle of nerves, ain't you Heyes? Helen's the one that told me about Harvey Bishop and Mrs. Carlson having an affair, and according to Rachel, that was a lie. But Helen really though it was true, and I had to pry it outta her. Yeah Heyes, I think we can trust her."
"You sure?"
Kid was growing exasperated with his partner. "Heyes, I spent one evening with her, and that was a year ago. Of course I ain't absolutely sure. But I think you're making a mountain outta a mole hill."
"I just think we ought to be certain. After all, we're gonna be here maybe as much as a month, Kid."
Kid couldn't keep himself from yawning and he started to scoot himself back down in the bed. Again Heyes jumped into action to keep the pillows where they belonged under and around Kid's ankle.
"I'll have a talk with her tomorrow," Kid mumbled as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Heyes sat in the rocking chair in Kid's room and dozed off and on throughout the rest of the night Kid woke once more during the night and Heyes fixed him a glass of water with the pain powder mixed in.
But most of the night, Heyes spent trying to come up with an explanation as to why the sheriff, or anyone else for that matter, would want them out of town. It was a safe bet no one knew their true identity, because if anyone did, he and Kid would be in jail. Helen had mentioned that Harvey had loyal friends, but he and Kid had left town before the trial and since they didn't testify, they had no influence on the verdict. Through careful deduction, Heyes could eliminate almost everyone in town, but his reasoning kept bringing him back to Sheriff Moody.
Heyes heard Helen ride up in the buckboard and he got up and went into the other room to make a pot of coffee.
"Any news?" he asked when she walked into the cabin.
Helen shook her head. "My guess is there ain't more than a couple of people at most that even know about what happened to the two of you."
"There's at least four men that know cause that's how many beat us in the alley," Heyes replied.
"You get a good look at any of them? If you can describe them, I might know who they are."
Heyes shook his head. "They hit us both from behind and dragged us into the alley. It was dark. They knew exactly what they were doing. Kid says he thinks he saw a badge, but he can't be certain."
"Any of em say anything?"
Heyes poured Helen a cup of coffee. "Not that I remember."
Helen sat down at the table and took a sip of her coffee. "How's Jones doing?"
"He had a good night. Sleeping right now. Helen, why do you call him Jones?"
Helen smiled. "That's how he introduced himself to me. I figured that's what he likes to be called. Did you get any sleep? You look tired."
Heyes shook his head. "A little. You planning to be up a while?" he asked.
Helen nodded. "Doc says he'll be by early this morning."
"Well, to tell you the truth, that barn loft looks mighty inviting."
"I don't work at home," Helen replied with a sly grin.
"No, I wasn't suggesting...I thought I might take a blanket and see if I could sleep a bit in the straw. You know, stretch out a bit."
Helen smiled again and nodded her head. "I'll wake you when the doctor gets here."
"If Thaddeus wakes up, give him some of that pain medicine, a half a teaspoon in a glass of water."
"I will. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him. I'm kind of fond of Jones."
"Me too. I'll just grab a blanket and get out of your hair for a while."
Three and a half hours later, Dr. Atley arrived. Helen let him into the cabin and then went out to the barn to wake Heyes. When they returned, Dr. Atley was changing the dressing on Kid's ankle.
"Everything looks good," he said when he was finished.
"How long do I hafta stay in this bed?" Kid asked.
"A few more days. I want those bones to begin to fuse, and even then, no weight on that foot for another three weeks."
Kid looked at Heyes with some concern, but Heyes looked unconcerned about the news and shot Kid a subtle shake of his head.
"I'll walk you out, doctor," Heyes said after Dr. Atley had packed his things back into his medical bag.
"Keep using that pain medicine regularly. When the pain starts easing up, you can taper back on it a bit."
Kid nodded and watched Heyes and the doctor leave the room.
"Helen, wait," Kid said urgently when she too moved toward the bedroom door. "Can we talk a bit?" he asked.
Helen stopped and turned back to Kid who patted the edge of the mattress with his hand. "Sit down?" he asked.
She walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge. "And just what is it you want to talk about, Jones?" she asked.
"Well, first of all, I want to thank you for what you're doing for us. I know this is putting you out some and, well Joshua and me will find a way to make it up to you."
"There's no need, Jones. It ain't that much of an imposition."
"No? Doc just got through saying I might be laid up for a month. Can't tell me that ain't an imposition."
"And secondly?" she asked.
"Being as somebody obviously don't want Joshua and me in town, I'd like your word that you ain't gonna tell nobody that we're here."
"You got my word, but I am curious, Jones. Why did you come back here?"
"To tell you the truth, it weren't intentional. We're on our way to Buxton for a job. When we realized how close we were to this town, we thought we'd stop by and say hello to the Carlson's, see how everything turned out for Jake and, maybe get a free meal out of it," he said with a slight chuckle. "It's a shame whoever done this didn't know we had only planned to be around here overnight. They couldda saved themselves a lot of time and trouble."
Helen smiled. "That is a shame, Jones."
0-0-0-0-0-0
A week passed uneventfully, but Kid was growing very restless while still confined to his bed. Heyes tried to help break the monotony with conversation, reading aloud, helping Kid with the none to strenuous ankle exercises the doctor had ordered, and even offering to find Kid a book he might enjoy reading himself. But by the end of the second week, Kid had had enough.
"Heyes, either you help me hop into the living room, or better yet, out onto the porch, or I'm gonna go it myself," Kid said late one morning as he tossed back the covers and carefully lifted his leg from the pillows and eased it over the side of the bed.
Heyes was actually sympathetic to Kid's situation, but didn't want Kid risking further injury. "How about I bring a kitchen chair in here for you to sit on and I just drag you out to the porch?"
Kid smiled. Just getting out doors was all he wanted and he didn't much care how he got there. "Go get the chair," he told his partner.
Heyes brought the chair and Kid scooted into the seat. Holding the back of the chair with both hands, Heyes dragged Kid through the cabin and out the door to the porch. Then he returned to the cabin and came out with a second chair and a pillow. Placing the chair with the pillow in front of Kid, Heyes then helped place Kid's foot gently on the pillow.
"Now that's just fine, Heyes," Kid said and took a deep cleansing breath, filling his lungs with the sweet smells of autumn. "The way I figure it, Heyes, another week here and then we figure out a way to get me on the train and we head to Buxton."
"Kid, that job is long gone by now," Heyes replied, easing himself into a chair beside his partner.
"Well then, somewhere else. We've been lucky so far that no one has figured out we're here. I think we're pushing our luck staying any longer than we gotta."
"You said Helen promised not to tell anyone."
"Yeah, Kid replied." But we didn't make no bargain with the doctor. To tell you the truth, I'm surprised nobody's followed him out here."
"I think Helen has told him to be discrete," Heyes said.
"And if you was the doctor, that wouldn't make you a bit curious yourself?"
"Heyes sighed. "It would," he confessed. "But doctors take some kind of hypocrite oath."
"What's a hypocrite oath?"
"That they won't do nothing to make a patient any worse off than he is, and telling anybody about us might just make you, and me for that matter, worse off than we are now."
"Oh. Well still, don't you think we outta be clearing outta here as quick as we can?"
"Well one thing for sure is that you sit a saddle," Heyes said.
"Maybe if you slipped into town real quite, you could get the horses sold and pick up a train schedule. Might be best to take a night train outta here."
"You said you didn't want me anywhere near town. Now you want me sneaking in to do business?" Heyes asked.
"Maybe it would be better to just give the horses and tack to Helen, as a payment for all she's done," Kid suggested.
"All that's worth at least two hundred dollars, Yeah..."
Heyes stopped speaking when Kid suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, his eyes focused on the path leading toward the cabin.
"Someone's coming," Kid said urgently.
Heyes' hand fell to rest on his gun, but when he saw who was coming he smiled. "I guess you got caught in the act, Kid."
Dr. Atley rode up to the hitching post and dismounted quite awkwardly as he was carrying a pair of crutches in one hand. Tying his horse to the post, he then walked up to the porch.
"I swear doc, I didn't walk out here," Kid told the doctor.
"He's right. He sat in that chair and I dragged the chair out. Got the scuff marks on the floor to prove it," Heyes added.
"Well, I brought you these. I still don't want you putting any weight on that ankle."
Kid took the crutches and used them to stand from his chair. "Feels good to be in the vertical again," he told the doctor.
"Well I'm heading you back inside and back to the horizontal so I can check those bandages," the doctor told him.
Kid sighed as the three men headed back to the bedroom and Kid eased himself back down on the bed while Heyes helped position his ankle back on the pillows.
"Going stir crazy in this bed," Kid grumbled.
"Helen told me you two are anxious to be on your way," the doctor replied.
"Just don't want to overstay our welcome," Heyes replied.
"The bandages all look good," Dr. Atley said as he straightened and stood beside the bed. "I'd say one more week and we'll see about putting some weight on that ankle. If that goes as well as I expect it too, then you could travel by stage or train."
"Another week," Heyes sighed wearily, then looked at Kid and shrugged. "Another week, I guess."
0-0-0-0-0-0
You still haven't heard a word about who jumped us or why?" Heyes asked Helen two nights later as the three of them sat at the table eating supper.
"No one's said nothing."
"It's got to be the Sheriff who got so nervous seeing us come into town, but why?" Heyes pondered aloud.
"Helen, what happened at the trial?" Heyes asked.
"I already told you, I didn't go."
"But you work in the saloon, Helen. People talk," Kid said.
"Helen, Jake did kill Harvey in self defense, right"
"That's what the jury decided," Helen replied.
"Yeah, but that's not what I asked you. Did Jake kill Harvey in self defense?"
"Look, I know Harvey murdered those three men. I know he tried to kill you and Jones, and I know he planned to kill Jake. But I also know for a fact that Harvey Bishop wasn't armed when he was killed."
"How do you know that, Helen?" Kid asked.
"Because Harvey came here. He spent the afternoon here. He told me he tried to kill you, Jones, but that you got away, and he knew you'd go straight to the sheriff. When he left here, he was going to turn himself in. He left his gun and rifle here on purpose. He said he'd be safer if he was unarmed. He said no one, not even you, Jones, would kill an unarmed man."
"Harvey Bishop killed three men. He had to know he was going to hang," Heyes replied.
Helen nodded. "He was hoping that by turning himself in, maybe he could get life in prison. Either way, he knew his life was over."
"Does anybody else know all this, about Harvey's guns I mean?" Heyes asked.
Helen nodded. "Sheriff Moody knows, because after Harvey was killed, I went to the Sheriff and I told him everything."
"And Rachel stayed with Jake, knowing what he done?" Kid asked.
Helen shrugged. "All I know is that they sold the ranch, packed up their things, and said they was moving to St Louis. Maybe that's true and maybe it ain't. It's over a year now since all that happened. It's water over the damn as far as I'm concerned."
"Why weren't you called to testify?" Heyes asked.
Helen smiled and shook her head. "Who's gonna take the word of a whore? Besides, Sheriff Moody had something else in mind. He came out here and picked up the gun and the rifle and promised to keep me out of it. He said without any eye witnesses or corroborating evidence, Jake would never be convicted. You two were in that poker game. You know Moody and Jake were friends. My guess is, the Sheriff made a deal with Jake, saying he would testify that he found those guns right there with Jake's body to prove Jake fired in self defense, but Jake would have to leave town as soon as the trial was over."
"And you never had to testify?"
Helen shook her head. "Never got called as a witness, no. From what I could tell in the newspaper, my name never came up at the trial."
"But what's that got to do with us? Why run us outta town?" Kid asked. "We didn't know anything about Harvey confessing to you and leaving his guns with you. Rachel was the only one that even knew we were aware that Jake killed Bishop."
"The sheriff broke the law, something he took an oath to uphold. I suppose once a man crosses that line, he's always looking over his shoulder. Seeing the two of you ride into town just made him nervous, I suppose."
You're right about always looking over your shoulder," Heyes replied with a quick and knowing glace at his partner. Sheriff must have seen us ride into town and got pretty nervous over it."
"You seem to know a lot about how a man thinks when he's on the wrong side of the law," Helen remarked.
"Law men and outlaws learn to think alike, always anticipating the other one's next move," Heyes replied.
"And which one are the two of you? I'm guessing you're not lawmen, else you'd be arresting the sheriff for perjury or tempering with evidence or something now that you know the facts."
"Sheriff ain't going anywhere. I think we can wait till Thaddeus can walk before we go making an arrest," Heyes lied. "That is, if we can still trust you and the doctor not to say anything about our being here."
Helen looked at Heyes with a cold, discerning glare. "Like I said before, Harvey has some loyal friends in town. I happen to be one of them."
"But Harvey tried to kill both of us, so why are you helping us?" Heyes asked.
I was a friend of Harvey, but that doesn't mean I condone what he did. Harvey turned out to be a cold blooded murderer, and Jones here sought out the truth," Helen said, then turned to look at Kid. "When you came into the saloon asking for me, you asked me if I was Harvey's girl. And when I started to walk away, you called me back. Why?"
"Because I could tell right off that you were an intelligent and honest woman. I knew you'd tell me the truth, or what you knew as the truth."
Helen nodded. "I was wrong about Rachel Carlson. All that talk from Harvey was just that, talk. But then you did something else that night... You treated me like an intelligent and honest woman, not some whore you could throw a few coins at and find your pleasure. I knew your friend here had been hurt, and I suspected you were just out for revenge, but you weren't. You were looking for justice."
"But if the sheriff altered the evidence, nobody got justice, did they?" Kid asked.
"I think they did. Harvey killed those men in cold blood. He planned to kill Jake the same way. If Harvey would have had his gun when he met up with Jake, one of them would have been dead. So I think in a sense, Jake did kill Harvey in self defense."
"Is there such a thing as theoretical self defense?" Heyes asked.
"I think maybe in this case, there just may be," Helen replied.
0-0-0-0-0
Kid lay snugly in his bed while Heyes stirred the pain powders into a glass of water that he then handed to his partner. Kid pulled himself up, drank half the glass, then handed it back to his partner and snuggled back in under the covers.
"Kid," Heyes said as he placed the half full glass on the dresser. "Now that you've got a bit more freedom with the ankle..."
"Sure Heyes, crawl in," Kid said sleepily.
Heyes smiled. "It's just that I ain't slept in a real bed in three weeks."
"I said crawl in," Kid said with sleepy irritation.
"I ain't felt a nice mattress in..."
"Heyes! Get in and shut up!"
Heyes stripped down to his long johns and carefully slipped into the empty side of the bed.
"You know, even if what Helen says is true, a crooked sheriff..."
"Heyes, do you think Jake deserved to go to prison for killing Harvey Bishop?"
"No...No I don't."
"Have we ever come across a sheriff that bent the rules to save our hides?"
Heyes immediately thought of Sheriff Lundy in Douglas, Arizona. "Yeah, I guess we have."
"Then don't you think it just might be best to let sleeping dogs lie and get outta town?"
Heyes smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right, Kid."
"Of course I'm right. You ought to listen to me more, Heyes. You'd be surprised how often I'm right. Now go to sleep."
0-0-0-0-0
Three in the morning, and the only light came from the soft glow of an oil lamp burning inside the cabin. Two horses hitched to the buckboard stood waiting at the hitching post.
"You sure you'll be alright Helen, traveling back here all alone?" Heyes asked as he, Helen, and Kid made their way down the steps toward the wagon?
"I drive this road at this time of night four days a week," she assured him.
Kid, wearing only one boot, the injured foot still bandaged and covered in a loosely fitting wool sock, tossed his crutches into the back of the buckboard, then turned and hoisted himself onto the back edge of the and scooted himself back far enough that Heyes was able to close the gate.
Heyes helped Helen climb onto the wagon seat, then climbed on himself and took the resins. "You okay back there, Thaddeus?"
"I'm fine. Let's get going, we don't want to miss that train."
Twenty minutes later, Heyes pulled the wagon to a stop at the train station. He unlatched the gate at the rear of the wagon and picked up his and Kid's saddlebags while Kid scooted himself to the end of the wagon and maneuvered the crutches into position under his arms.
"Helen, thank you for all you've done. The horses are yours for payment," Heyes told her.
"Them things that happened a year ago, well, I'm sorry things turned out the way they did," Kid told her, his blue eyes coming to rest on her brown eyes. "A lot of people got hurt, a lot of lines got crossed and, well... Don't let yourself be disillusioned . There's a little good and a little bad in all of us."
"In my line of work, you get seasoned to that idea real quick, Jones. Moody's got his own demons to bear. It's not mine to judge," she told him.
Kid smiled and nodded. "Nor mine," he replied.
"Come on, Kid we don't want to miss the train," Heyes said, urging Kid to hasten the departure.
"Kid, uh?" Helen said with a knowing smile. "If you don't mind, I prefer Jones."
"Come on, let's go," Heyes urged a second time.
Kid nodded and moved awkwardly with the crutches to follow Heyes into the station.
Ten minutes later, the train pulled out of the station. Through the window, they both saw Helen giving them a final wave as the train pulled out of the station and Helen moved out of sight.
Kid shifted in his seat and raised his injured leg to rest on the unoccupied seat beside him. With his back against the window, he pulled his hat down over his eyes with the intention of sleeping at least until sunrise.
"You know what you said back there is true," Heyes said quietly.
"What was that?" Kid asked sleepily.
"About there being a little good and a little bad in most men. It's almost, Oh what's the word? Philosophical, Kid."
Kid smiled beneath his hat. "And in your case Heyes, the scale definitely ain't balanced."
One side of Heyes' mouth broke into a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment, Kid."
"As was intended. Now let me sleep, will ya?"